Engineers Can Fix the Economy!

By Gary Hinkle

High unemployment continues to be a problem in the US and around the world. We complain there aren't enough jobs, and someone should do something about it! We blame the government, we blame corporations, and we blame what's going on in other countries.

Maybe the problem isn't what we think it is. Maybe the problem isn't unemployment and under-employment, which someone simply needs to fix. Maybe the problem is not enough value.

Think about how the concept of value affects the economy. When users of products and services want and need them, then those products and services are in high demand. They're valuable to users. And, of course, when there is greater demand for products and services, employers hire more people.

Maybe the problem is we're not generating enough value. Then we can ask, "Who should do something about that?" Read the rest.

Mindfulness vs. Multitasking

By Susan de la Vergne

A story in this Sunday's New York Times says that Sherlock Holmes was a model of mono-tasking. He solved crime after crime in his famous (fictional) career simply by focusing on the problem, concentrating in solitude until he'd unraveled the mystery. The writer of the article, Maria Konnikova, reminds us that Holmes's pal, Dr. Watson, called this habit "throwing his brain out of action." While other crime-solvers were running around London interviewing witnesses and stomping about the grounds looking for evidence, Holmes sat in his chair and meditated on the problem--and solved it every time.

You could certainly argue that we shouldn't over-champion Holmes's methods. He was, after all, fictional. But you don't have to look far to find factual evidence of the benefits of throwing one's brain "out of action," or--another way of saying it--being mindful. Look no further than the Mindfulness Research Monthly to learn about projects that demonstrate that mindfulness improves our ability to focus, our sense of well-being, and even the physical structure of our brains.

Mindfulness simply means being open and curious and attentive to events now, being present in the present. If you're thinking Of course I'm present in the present, where else would I be?, ask yourself how often during your day you think about the future (This is due to the client in the morning!) or the past (That breakfast scene with my teenager this morning was such a mess!). We're often thinking ahead or replaying something from the past. Our bodies are in the present, but our minds rarely are.

Or we're multitasking, which is the opposite of mindfulness. Read the rest.