One of the most stressful parts of being human is dealing with conflict. Most people don’t like it, and will take a considerable amount of crap before getting into a conflict about it. We put up with difficult personalities, particularly at work where we have no choice. Or the people who bill us and schedule our appointments and do paid ...Read More

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Your job or your life around the house probably includes a few tasks that you do regularly, that involve a number of steps. Most of the time, you can probably do it all automatically. But what about when you get interrupted? Or when you have a splitting headache? How much time do you waste trying to figure out what you ...Read More

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It feels like companies are laying off employees right and left in this horrific economy where there aren’t nearly enough jobs to go around. Some of the layoffs are due to the economy, but even companies that are making money are laying people off, and it doesn’t seem to matter how talented or loyal you are, or whether you’d voluntarily take ...Read More

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I talked to someone the other day who is moving across country, planning a wedding and changing jobs. All at the same time.

I completely flaked (notice the slowdown in posting here) just from an unexpected move across town a few weeks ago. It was all I could do to move and show up at my job. Everything else – this ...Read More

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Is it important to separate your home life and your work life? I see self-employed and telecommuting people in forums talking about that separation as if there’s no question it’s important, but I wonder.

50 years ago, not everyone had to work for a paycheck. It wasn’t too expensive to leave “the city”, buy some rural land somewhere, grow your own ...Read More

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The title is a bit of an oversimplification. What it really means is that what we think of as “wasted time” may not actually be a waste after all. We need to overhaul our definitions of “productivity” and “time wasting.”

The current definitions

I used to wait tables. My shifts would last 4-6 hours without breaks. I’d work up a sweat and ...Read More

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If you have a job where you work closely with others in a team style or where co-workers have to fill in for each other when someone takes time off, Outlook Notes is a great way to keep people posted on their projects. It’s also great for keeping yourself on track.

An example of when the Notes feature comes in handy:

A ...Read More

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It seems like there are new stories every day about layoffs due to this shaky economy. If you’re afraid you might become a statistic, there are a few steps that could help you keep it.

I have to say up front: I’m not an expert on staffing. I’m just going by my experience and the experience of others who’ve lost jobs ...Read More

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If you’re in a stressful, emotional situation where you need to express yourself clearly and get your point across (whether at work or in another relatively businesslike environment), the worst feeling is the sense that you’re not going to be able to do it without crying. I’m all for letting out emotions when you need to, but if you’re confronting ...Read More

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There are diligent bosses who keep on top of everything and know what everyone’s working on at any given moment, and then there are micromanagers: the bosses who actually slow companies down by interrupting people for progress updates more often than necessary. The first type of boss can be very effective. The second is sabotaging both himself and you with ...Read More

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