Moved
My blog has moved to http://www.robberthomburg.com
New boost in New World of Work?
This week Grímsvötn erupted. The last time a big volcano in Iceland erupted air travel almost stopped! People were forced to meet without travelling and new ways of working spread like crazy. Last week’s eruption does not have the same impact, I am affraid. The eruption was a lot smaller and only some airports in Germany were shut down.
Do we really need such a big intervention of Mother Nature or can mankind itself take action and boost New Ways of Working in the global economy?
Either way: NASA made this nice picture of the eruption.
Retirement and Rabat
Yesterday after a short workday my mother-in-law had her retirement party. A lot of colleagues, friends and family were present to honor a long life of work. With the present retirement age I have to work for another 34 years. Somehow I would like to stop earlier because this means I still have to work longer than I have been alive…
In a few days the movie Rabat has its premiere in Tuschinski! My two brothers-in-law have been very busy with this movie together with their friends. The result will be something they can be very proud of!
en de titlesong van Sef: De Leven!
Visualizing Information
Today I was in a workshop where we encountered some discussions on interpreting information. Interpreting information is done by the brain. We can only display information in a way that enhances interpretation. Visualization helps interpretation and increases the value of information. Today I encountered this great TED video, with great examples from Amsterdam during Queensday! Thanks to @jasperdevalk for the tweet about this video.
Energy and distractions
Today I was preparing for an EIM workshop. During the afternoon my brain felt like it had run dry. Inspiration was completely gone and nothing came out of my fingers. At 17:00 I went home. Because I spent the whole day at the office I was by bike. After five minutes biking I was having good ideas that I worked on later this evening. I regret that I did not go home earlier. This made me less productive than I could have been.
The other lesson was about noise and distraction. When you need to concentrate on your work every distraction needs to be eliminated. This means no email, no phonecalls and also quietness around your workplace. There is enough evidence that multitasking complex tasks is not possible but we switch tasks and lose a lot of time in between! This emphasizes the need for concentration booths at our office or to work in another quiet space like home or a library.
