Managing Distractions

If you work online or are in software development, you know what it is like to constantly be up against distractions. There is a great web application called Momentum which will distract you when opening new tabs with an incredible landscape photograph, while reminding you of your focus point for the day. It will keep you from opening too many tabs as well. If you are not working on email, close it. It is a total drain on your focus. While you are turning off your email, also turn off phone alerts and social media. Who hasn't had those days when you get on YouTube to watch one how-to video and next thing you know two hours go by and you are watching videos of dancing goats. The noises that our pocket computers make throughout a given day are like a little electronic orchestra of distraction.

Tiny Life Changes

Every one of us wants to make changes in our lives to grow and become better people. Fortunately there are small changes you could make that would make a huge difference. So say you want to build a better network and the onslaught of all those communication services is somewhat intimidating. Start small and commit ten minutes a day to making connections. This also includes maintaining those connections. Other changes you can make is being more productive. Once again, take it with small steps. Pick one change, and do it every day. You'll instantly be more productive... and you'll start looking for other things to change. If you want to have more brain power and get fitter. The best thing you can do is take a walk outside for forty minutes three times a day. Make sure that you use an activity tracker as well because it will encourage you and motivate you to keep up the exercise.

Graduation Advice

It is that time of the year again. There are thousands of newly graduated people. It is time for them to step into their new lives and new experiences, and most importantly the careers that they have been preparing for. This also means that the job searches are beginning along with the pain that comes from how poorly the job search engines' web development is done. Some days it might even seem like they are sending their resumes into a black hole never to be seen again. One of the most important lessons that I have learned when I was in that position is to be open minded and embrace the uncomfortable. Make sure that you expose yourself to as many different people and situations as you can by volunteering for internet projects and introducing yourself to someone new everyday. You also need to be patient. Things are going to go wrong. Use these moments in time as opportunities to accelerate the development of your own self-awareness and growth. You can’t run away when something doesn’t go your way. That is why you need to be resilient. The people that succeed are not the ones that do not fail, they are the ones that always get back up no matter what.

Communicating Better

In any industry, whether it is biology research or software development, communication is very important. People who are able to communicate were not just born that way, there was a lot of practice involved and some pretty good advice along the way. One of the first things that every great communicator knows is that they need to be an expert on what they are talking about. It is the only way to really get the attention and respect of the audience. Secondly, they listen more than they speak and ask a lot of questions so that what other people are saying can be clarified. Communication is also a lot about the non-verbal type. It is important to pay attention to postures and eye contact, as well as tone of voice. If any of these verbal and nonverbal communication aspects lack consistency, communication becomes a disaster. Do you have any more tips on how to communicate better?

First Couple Minutes of Your Day

When you first wake up, do you hit the snooze button? And then go through the day rushed and too busy? What if it takes only six minutes right when you wake up to set the tone for the day and after several weeks you will be able to see just how much better life is. The best part is that there are no mobile applications necessary. Instead of hitting the snooze button, get up but sit silently and breathe deeply for a minute. Next, take a minute to read over a list of affirmations of your unlimited potential and just how awesome you are in general. Close your eyes and visualize what it will look like and feel like when you reach your goals. Seeing your ideal vision increases your belief that it’s possible and your desire to make it a reality. In the next minute, get your blood flowing by doing jumping jacks or push ups. Then grab the non-fiction book that you are currently reading and read the next two pages which should take about a minute. It might spark some ideas for your day. Finally, grab a pen and paper and write down one thing that you are grateful for, one thing that you are proud of, and three results that you are committed to creating that day. In those six minutes, we can create the life that we really want to live.

ResearchKit From Apple

Apple is opening its ResearchKit platform to developers and researchers who can use the tool to learn more about patient diseases and conditions, like Parkinson's and diabetes. The platform collects data from various mobile applications and features of the smartphone as well as having the user take surveys. This data is then compiled into a cloud services where researchers can evaluate and analyze it to see if there are any previously hidden trends in the diseases. This has the potential to improve the health of the patients and the ability of the caregivers to care for them. Taking it one step further, the information could be compiled and added to other clinical studies. On the other end of it, the patient is giving up information about themselves. Should they be compensated for it or is knowing that they are a part of helping find treatments and cures for diseases enough? In the world today, data and information are currency and can fetch a very high price for the right buyer.

Loving Life

Life is a gift and we must use it wisely. The best part about it is that being happy does not involve luck or being in the right place at the right time. It really comes from intention and action. Here are a couple life tips to have you back on the track of enjoying every single aspect of it. First of all do the things you love and not the things you hate. Sounds pretty simple, right? No mobile application required either. We have been told to just deal with the hand we have and suck it up. That is not how it works though. Do what you love, it is that simple. As we grow up we somehow lose our sense of wonder and playfulness we had as children. Our minds are so consumed with the "have-to" tasks, bills, and other responsibilities that we put our fun and play time on the back burner. When was the last time you just kicked up your heels and let your inner child run free? Life is meant to be lived, loved, and experienced in the moment and I am not one to sit around and wait for retirement to do the things I love and you shouldn't either.

Be Likable

Yes, it is fully in your control. It really has nothing to do with whether you are intelligent or gregarious. There are some things that you can work on to make you more likable. First of all, it is important to ask questions when listening to someone. You’ll be surprised how much respect and appreciation you gain just by asking questions. Next, if you are committed to having a conversation with someone, put away your phone services and actually listen to them. While you are having that conversation remember to have an open mind and truly consider the ideas that the other person is talking about before shutting them down. Using an enthusiastic tone, uncrossing your arms, maintaining eye contact, and leaning towards the person who’s speaking are all forms of positive body language that high-EQ people use to draw others in. Positive body language can make all the difference in a conversation. Lastly, remember to smile because that is also a part of the positive body language.

Building Self-Confidence

There are times when we have to step out of our comfort zones and appear good in the mean time. There will be times when your mind to yelling and screaming not to go through with it but it is not an option at this point. Fortunately, there are several things that you can do to have that confidence within reach. Always stay in the know about what is going on in your business. Keep on top of the new developments. You should also have a clear vision and objectives. As the saying goes,"You cannot hit a target you cannot see." You will also be better able to track your progress. While you are seeing how much progress you are making, make sure to be optimistic because anything less will drag you and your motivation down. You can also take a risk. Or course, the risk should be for the sake of the reward and not for the risk itself. Step out of your comfort zone and you will be better for it. It might also be a good idea to learn new things and gain new skills such as mobile application development. Your business might eventually find use for it, you never know.

Rare Skills

If you are going to teach kids a skill that will help them in their career and life, teach them to be reliable. Teach them to do what they say they will do. If you consistently do what you say you will do, you will almost certainly be someone people desire to have on their teams. It is so rare that when you work with someone who is reliable, you never, ever want to work with anyone else. You will do anything to keep that person on your team. If you tell someone that you will have the software development project done by next week, then it should be done by then. Throw away those moving targets in your life. You also have to be upfront and let the other person know if it is going to need more time and them come to a date that is agreed upon. Obviously, there are external factors that make commitments hard to achieve but it is important to do everything to be reliable. The other side of the coin is being able to keep track of yourself. Surprisingly, there are not that many people that consistently do things without needing reminders. Those skills will get you far and you will be indispensable to any company.

Agile Mind

I am sure that you have heard of these brain training sites and mobile applications and improving your mind might be on the top your new year's resolutions. Fortunately, it doesn't require that you play those games especially if you are really skeptical about whether they really work or not. All you really have to do is to exercise your brain just like you do every muscle in your body. One of the best things that you can do is to use your sense in different ways. We have our five senses and some other ones depending on whom you are speaking to, and we use them every day but it is the combination that matters here. Mix things up and combine the senses in a new way such as listening to music while cooking or looking at your surroundings while walking. When was the last time you looked up from your phone while commuting? Another thing you can do is to shake up your routine. You might be thinking that there is no way that is happening because life is somewhat built on routines. You could use a different tone for your alarm in the morning or take a different route to work or the grocery store. Any small changes like that will do the trick.

Virtual Traffic Lights

Have you even been stuck in traffic? Of course you have and it is always utterly horrible. Not to mention that sitting in traffic for long periods of time has been linked to all kinds of chronic diseases and just increased stress in general. What if there was a way to decrease your travel time almost in half? Enter virtual lights. The traffic light will be created on the dashboard when approaching an intersection and arrows will light to show you which way is safe to proceed. The software development will also cut carbon emissions and even reduce accidents. The government is working on a vehicle-to-vehicle communication program where it will be mandatory for car to be able to communicate with each other. With all the technology, it is amazing that we are still using traffic lights that were invented decades ago.

Virtual Reality on a New Level

Every time you speak, you chest cavity will vibrate. Just place your fingers right below the clavicle and see for yourself. This aspect is important because it is a part of reality. Virtual reality has been focusing on enhancing the visuals but physicist Shahriar Afshar thinks recreating that feeling is the key to making video games, movies and music more immersive, emotional experiences. He's created a vest called KOR-FX that plugs into an audio jack and turns sound into chest-rumbling vibrations, mimicking what your vocal cords do. This type of sensation will further alert the brain to be in tune with what is going on and blur the lines between reality and what is going on on the screen. The vest costs $150 so it is definitely something that is available to the consumer even if listening to music. Eventually, this vest could be used in software development to create sensations of movement that could be used in video games.

Improving Your Presentations

At some point in our lives, we all have to present. Most of us are a bit rusty on the details so it turns out somewhat boring. If your presentation is boring, that means people will not listen. Fortunately there are things that you can do to improve, whether you are doing a sales pitch, applying for a job, or presenting the latest developments in your web design project. One of the best pieces of advice that I have gotten is to keep it short and simple. It does not help to try to impress your audience with fancy terms and knowledge, just get to the point. Also, make sure to slow down. When we are presenting, we have a tendency to talk faster because of nerves or the fact that we have way too much material to present. While you are taking the time to slow down, use pauses to your advantage to get the audience involved, at least mentally. They need to become active listeners for you to get your point across.

Work From Home and Still Be Productive

Yes, it can be done. There are many perks of working from home but sometimes they can get in the way of working productively. When you get up in the morning, get dressed in some professional clothes even if you are just walking twenty feet to your home office. It will tell your body that it is time to get into work mode. Also, what if someone from work wants to do a video conference over internet phones? Are you really going to make them wait until you get dressed to look presentable. Setting your own work hours may be a great perk but if you do not have the set hours, you will just be wasting time. Make sure that you also work the hours when you are most productive, whether it be in the morning, noon, or evening. By leaving the desk for a short time every 60 to 90 minutes, it'll give you a change of scenery that allows your mind to relax and become refreshed, and prepared for when you come back. Even a simple walk to a shop or getting a cup of coffee and sitting in a garden will be enough to recharge.