Quotes on Work, Education, Productivity

[Daniel E.]

"Have a bias toward action -- let's see something happen now. You can break that big plan into small steps and take the first step right away."

"You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose."

~ Indira Gandhi

 

[Daniel E.]

The world's most successful people are simply the luckiest

The world's most successful people are simply the luckiest, a simulation of a thousand 40-year careers shows by the University of Catania in Sicily, found.

www.dailymail.co.uk

"The most successful individuals are also the luckiest ones. And the less successful individuals are also the unluckiest ones.”

~ Alessandro Pluchino

 

[Daniel E.]

"Many ordinary people have encountered this paradox: they are underemployed or unemployed but also, counterintuitively, working harder than ever before."

~ Jason Resnikoff, How 'Automation' Made America Work Harder

 

[Daniel E.]

The Difference Between Hope and Optimism

For starters, hope is better.

www.theatlantic.com

Given that hope involves personal agency, its links to individual success shouldn’t come as a surprise.

In a report in The Journal of Positive Psychology in 2013, researchers defining hope as “having the will and finding the way” found that high-hope employees are 28 percent more likely to be successful at work and 44 percent more likely to enjoy good health and well-being.

A multiyear study of students from two universities in the United Kingdom found that hope, measured in response to self-rated measures such as “I energetically pursue my goals,” predicted academic achievement better than intelligence, personality, or even prior achievement.

 

[Daniel E.]

Why so many people undercharge for their work

Setting a rate can be a minefield for folks navigating an industry alone.

www.vox.com

“In an auction, the person who wins is the person who puts in the highest bid. This increases the chances that people overpay for what they get because we switch from focusing on getting something at the right price and instead end up focused on winning. The same thing is likely happening with independent contractors. They’re so focused on getting the contract that they are likely to forget (not completely, but at least to have less salience) that the object of the exercise is to get good financial return on the investment of time.”

~ Brooke Struck, PhD

 

[Daniel E.]

They quit. Now they want their jobs back

When the Great Resignation is over, experts believe that the recruitment market will be overrun by boomerang employees

www.wired.co.uk

Employees often find that the problems that caused them to leave in the first place are still there when they return. In online forums about boomerang employees, it’s common to see people complaining that their old employer was not able to fulfil the promises made to get them to return.

 

[Daniel E.]

You’re Allowed to Leave a Bad Job Interview

Interviews should be two-way streets, after all.

slate.com

"Interviews should be two-way streets. While employers are assessing candidates, those candidates should be assessing the employers right back, forming their own judgments about whether they’d want to work for this particular company and this particular manager. And just as an employer might choose to cut short an interview if a candidate clearly isn’t right for the job, candidates should feel free to do the same on their side."

~ Alison Green, author of Ask a Manager: Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

True enough, but many people don't have that luxury, especially if they have been out of work for a while. They just need to get a paycheck coming in again.

 

[Daniel E.]

Yes. And if I had a dollar for every article geared towards upper-middle class professionals who own a half-million dollar home, I would never have to go to Taco Bell again

 

[Daniel E.]

America Stopped Treating Health-Care Workers Like Heroes

Hospital staff say they're facing a violence crisis.

www.theatlantic.com

“The No. 1 question we started getting asked is, ‘Are you going to keep me safe?’”

~ William Mahoney, the president of Cox Medical Center Branson

 

[Daniel E.]

Dems Warn School Surveillance Tools Could Compound ‘Risk of Harm for Students’

Updated, Oct. 5 A group of Democratic lawmakers has demanded that several education technology companies that monitor children online explain their business practices, arguing that around-the-clock digital surveillance demonstrates “a clear invasion of student privacy, particularly when students...

www.the74million.org

“Education technology companies have developed software that are advertised to protect student safety, but may instead be surveilling students inappropriately, compounding racial disparities in school discipline and draining resources from more effective student supports.”

 

[Daniel E.]

Perceived psychological contract violation - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Perceived psychological contract violation (PPCV) is a construct that regards employees’ feelings of disappointment (ranging from minor frustration to betrayal) arising from their belief that their organization has broken its work-related promises, and is generally thought to be the organization’s contribution to a negative reciprocity dynamic, as employees tend to perform more poorly to pay back PPCV.

Psychological contract - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"Violation of the psychological contract is likely to produce burnout because it erodes the notion of reciprocity, which is crucial in maintaining well-being."

~ Maslach, Schaufeli and Leiter (2001)

 

[Daniel E.]

Boredom at work | BPS

thepsychologist.bps.org.uk

Contrary to popular wisdom, boredom is not the result of having nothing to do. It is very hard to come up with a situation where a person’s options are so limited that he or she literally can do nothing. Rather, boredom stems from a situation where none of the possible things that a person can realistically do appeal to them.

 

[Daniel E.]

The self is typically a community of selves, not a single monolith

The self is typically a community of selves, not a single monolith By Allen R. McConnell, Ph.D. Psychology Today blog: The Social Self June 18, 2009 Having many selves common, often healthy We often hear someone claim that a friend, lover, parent, or co-worker seems to have multiple...

forum.psychlinks.ca

Research suggests that when facing stress, those greater in self-complexity often fare better...For someone with many different and diverse self-aspects, a negative event such as being laid off will certainly hurt one's "professional self" but a highly self-complex person will have many other selves to draw upon that don't share the same core values and traits as one's professional self.

 

[Daniel E.]

Belongingness: Essential Bridges that Support the Self

Belongingness improves health and well-being, regardless of whether social connection is with people or even one's pets. Giving to others (vs. the self) improves happiness, while affirming important values increases academic belonging, improving grades and health outcomes. The self functions...

www.psychologytoday.com

The benefits of belongingness (in this case, academic belongingness) that comes from self-affirmation can benefit anyone, but the existent research indicates it is especially powerful for students who face stigma (e.g., African American students). Majority students often feel like "they belong in the classroom" more than minority students, which explains why self-affirmation is so powerful for those who are more prone to worry about their sense of fit. By viewing oneself as someone with positive core qualities, students can experience greater success and well-being because their sense of belongingness is enhanced.

 

[Daniel E.]

How Tired Employees Can Use Microbreaks to Recharge

www.ioatwork.com

Organizational health climate refers to an employee’s perception of support from coworkers, supervisors, and management for employee well-being. When employees believe that their organization supports their well-being, they also report feeling more control over their ability to take microbreaks when needed. Indeed, in this study, these “supported” employees were more likely to actually take microbreaks.

 

[Daniel E.]

The Most Common Type of Incompetent Leader

The popular media is full of examples of bad leaders in government, academia, and business. But the most common kind of incompetent leader isn’t the ranting, narcissistic sociopath that might immediately come to mind. Rather, it’s the “absentee leader” — those in leadership roles who are...

getpocket.com

Research shows that being ignored by one’s boss is more alienating than being treated poorly.

 

[Daniel E.]

When Your Authority Fluctuates Throughout the Day

For many of us, the power we feel at work — how much, when it occurs, and around whom — can fluctuate. This can result in a surprising increase in stress and a decrease in well-being. To address this, consider these strategies for making power imbalances more manageable. First, be deliberate in...

hbr.org

For many of us, the power we feel at work — how much, when it occurs, and around whom — can fluctuate. This can result in a surprising increase in stress and a decrease in well-being.

To address this, consider these strategies for making power imbalances more manageable. First, be deliberate in scheduling your tasks to cluster activities with similar levels of power together. Second, give your work a routine and consider “theming” together days with similar activities. Third, create a role-transcendent identity in order to embrace your different levels of power. And finally, work to actively manage your well-being.

 

[Daniel E.]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/11/08/job-search-not-getting-hired/

“I’m literally selling the job and selling myself to these people. Normally my question was, ‘Tell me why you think you’re a good fit for our organization.’ Now the tables have turned. I’m like, ‘Let me explain to you why I’m a good fit for you.’”

 

[Daniel E.]

"You do not rise to the level of your goals. Your fall to the level of your systems."

"The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. It's one thing to say I'm the type of person who wants this. It's something very different to say I'm the type of person who is this."

~ James Clear, author of Atomic Habits