Have you ever wondered what’s the story behind the Terracotta Army? It so happens that, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I discovered an amazing documentary about the Chinese emperor who ordered the creation of the terracotta statues of his soldiers. While learning more about ancient China, I realized that this 2,500 years old civilization had an incredible onboarding process (better than some modern-day companies) and we can learn a lot from it.
The Terracotta Army (Image Source: Colin Capelle)
It’s July 17th, so we couldn’t miss celebrating #WorldEmojiDay! We’re such big fans of these little funny pictograms that we just had to make a short movie about them/us. Who says you can’t act like an emoji?
We made this little experiment to see if you can actually be loud and clear just by making faces. And yes, you can! 🙂
More and more companies need a toolbox to help them interact in real time with partners, clients and even remote employees.
However, running remote meetings in particular comes with its own challenges. Sometimes the participants are on different time zones. Everyone needs to be updated prior to the meeting regarding the topic of the conversation. Tasks have to be shared and everyone must have a clear understanding of the entire project. Not to mention the online meeting itself has to unfold without any technical problems.
I’ve been using this simple, yet highly effective method for a long time.
Of all the anti-procrastination techniques out there, the Pomodoro technique has helped me the most to overcome difficult moments, from lack of motivation to the old writer’s block. So I decided to learn more about the science behind its success. Here’s what I found.
Image Source: pomodorotechnique.com
There’s nothing worse than having too many tools and not getting the best of them. If you’re looking to boost your productivity, here is the essential kit that will cover the most important aspects of your day to day activity – starting with communication and notes, and ending with project management. Cut the clutter and give these tools a try (hint: most of them are free!)
Image Credit: William Iven (Unsplash.com)
Our CEO once recommended me Randy Pausch’s talk on Time Management and I was totally blown away by it. The part about methods of successful delegation is particularly interesting so I decided to summarize it in this article.
Photo credits: cs.virginia.edu |The University of Virginia’s School of Engineering hosted Randy for his lecture on “Time Management” on November 27, 2007.
My coworkers and I rely on instant communication apps to give and receive feedback, keep ourselves up to date with the projects we’re working on, and talk to friends and family. As useful as IM apps are, they can be overwhelming sometimes. Over time, we learned a few tricks on how to avoid distractions when using IM apps so I thought we’d share them here, on our blog.
Image Credit: Thomas Lefebvre (Unsplash.com)
With so many distractions – notifications, tools, messages – most of us find it harder and harder to really concentrate on delivering our projects. It takes planning and effort to help us cope in such a noisy environment. While looking for methods to boost productivity, I stumbled upon a classic: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Image Credit: Nick Karvounis | @nickkarvounis
He may not be a 20-year-old millionaire from the Silicon Valley, but Sir Alex Ferguson is definitely a leader worth studying. For over 25 years, he was the man behind Manchester United’ triumph, which made the world recognize him as the most successful football manager in British history.
Image Source: DailyMail.co.uk
For all the avid learners out there, I put together a list of podcasts you can listen to on your way to work. They are all about success and productivity – the only two ingredients you need to start your day off on a positive note.
