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Uncategorized

Zoom Fatigue

I know there’s many working from home… and many not, who are using online meeting applications such as Zoom (others are available/being used… such as Webex, MS Teams, etc..)… and recently, I heard a term that really resonated.

Zoom Fatigue.

Zoom – the online meeting application (in this case, can be any online video meeting application)

Fatigue – extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness.“he was nearly dead with fatigue”

We’re all in a situation where we have needed to isolate. And rightly so. To help save loved ones, not to spread the virus around, etc…

With the technology capability we have, we have been able to use video conferencing to stay in touch with others, continue to work from home, increase the amount of work we do by staying connected, etc…

Use of Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Zoom skyrockets with ...

BUT…. recently, there’s been reports of ‘Zoom Fatigue’. That’s right – people becoming extremely tired because they’re spending alot of time on their on-line meetings.

So…. couple of things you should do,

  1. Take a Break – simple right? not really… at work it’s different… you’re surrounded by people, and it’s easier to grab a coffee with a colleague and spend a few minutes away from your desk. You must have the same principles at home. Take a break. Move away from the screen. Maybe call a colleague and have a voice chat with them.
  2. Ask how people are – as I said… ask people, how are they? how’s the situation at home?…. if it’s not good – re-schedule that meeting, remember… health first! – It’s important that people feel good, not only physically… but mentally.
  3. Get to the point! – If someone is waffling on… stop them! Tell them… get to the point. What is it you are informing me, what are the action points, what is it we need to do, and when does it need to be done. Ask people to keep things simple… and way, everyone can be more efficient and productive.

Finally…. Be Honest. There’s been plenty of calls I’ve been on, where the voice is monotone… speaker doesn’t do themselves any favours…. topic is hard to follow (and not shared in a good order)…. – I usually provide feedback earlier than later. In a constructive manner, off course.

So remember – take care of yourself.

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

I was working at Kodak… and my Sensei, Mark Chamberlain took me to a production/manufacturing room that was full of boxes, film, etc…

He asked me, ‘Young Grasshopper… what do you see?’

I said… ‘boxes, rolls of film… Conveyor… everything seems to be working ok to me’.

He didn’t say anything to me. We just left. Anyway, I joined the ‘Lean’ team… and was part of lots of activity, projects, etc… I learnt a lot you could say.

After about a year. He took me to that same room again.

He said, ‘what do you see?’

I replied… ‘well, I see a lot of waste. I see that they could optimise the conveyor by moving it to the left, that’ll give more space to the operators. Also, I see no visual indicators – can’t see any colour coding for the boxes, there’s no indication to when they have to leave…’ he stopped me. Smiled and said nothing. And we left the room.

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Car Technology

Dyson Electric Car Parked…

Remember I wrote (a while back) that Dyson (yep…. the ones who make the vacuum cleaners) are making an electric car… well, they’ve decided to park it… but before totally leaving it, they’ve shared some information and images.

Dyson revealed that his electric vehicle, codenamed “N526,” would have been a seven-seater with a whopping 600-mile range per charge.

This was largely thanks to the company’s proprietary solid-state batteries, which could apparently sustain such performance “even on a freezing February night, on the naughty side of 70MPH on the motorway, with the heater on and the radio at full blast.”

The car could go from zero to 62MPH in 4.8 seconds (about half a second more than the long-range Model X), with its top speed apparently reaching 125MPH (30MPH shy of the Model X’s). This is all coming from the twin 200kW electric motors rated with 536BHP.

Dyson told The Times that this project ended up costing £500 million of his own money before he put a stop to it. Unlike other traditional car brands, Dyson doesn’t have a fleet of profitable gasoline cars and diesel cars to offset the “huge losses” on every electric vehicle made — each Dyson electric car would have needed to make £150,000 to break even, according to the entrepreneur.

So it’s all parked for the moment – but the ideas keep coming and Dyson has said his team are working on a number of other projects and open for collaboration. Have you got an idea?….

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

There’s so many people I knew, when I was younger, who worked 9 til 5, 5 days a week… for all of their. Until retirement.

I always, from a young age… thought that was crazy! Imagine 40+ years… doing the same thing… maybe a little variety… for such a long time! Well… it works for some! Some like that life. And maybe, they are happy with it, and that’s absolutely fine!

For me however… I like to keep learning. Keep pushing…. Keep editing,

Categories
Smart Home

Gadgets for Home Working…

Let’s be honest- there’s a few folk that are working from home during these testing times. And it’s not easy. You have children running around in the back, connectivity issues… and batteries running low when you have to join a conference call.

But Bal…. are there any gadgets that could be used to make it easier to work from home?

Yes, yes there are.

Firstly, I would recommend some good headphones. Preferably noise cancelling ones.

There’ll be a lot going on around you, behind you… and it can often make it difficult for you to concentrate on the task in hand. Therefore it’s important to be able to block out the background noise… and the best way is by having some really good headphones.

Jabra Evolve 75 UC Stereo Headset

Whilst there’s plenty on offer, I use the Jabra noise cancelling headphones. They work really well… but there’s alot of options out there. Other ones that have been recommended are the Bose Quiet Comfort Wireless Bluetooth headphones. It’s important to make sure they’re wireless. The last thing you want getting caught, is the wire.

Next up… wifi-extender.

Hands up… if you’ve been on a call, and you have ‘connectivity’ issues. That’s right – it’s always good to make sure you have a good connection. Best way with this is to ensure it reaches you! – so get a good wifi extender that extends the wifi to you and you stay connected.

TP-Link 300Mbps Wi-Fi Range Extender & Booster 2

Plenty available on amazon and other places – for me, try TP-Link N300…

Finally…. Coffee Mug Warmer.

Whilst this doesn’t sound like it’s an essential… you may find you’ll save time walking from the ‘home office’ to the kitchen for that cup of coffee. Doesn’t take alot of space up and it’ll ensure your coffee (or other hot beverage) remains hot for longer…. so you don’t need to spill the cold coffee, get up, boil the kettle, make another cup, etc…

COSORI Coffee Mug Warmer & Mug Set, Touch Tech & LED: Amazon.co.uk ...

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Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

It’s been a tough week… I won’t go into it all here, but sharing the below as my Friday Thought.

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Monday Motivation

New Normal…

Just been reading a post… by someone else, titled, ‘what if the new normal is better’.

It’s going to, though… right? – what is the new normal?!

Flexible Work: from the new normal to the new necessary | HRD New ...

Most of us have had to adapt our ways of working. And, let’s be honest – has it really been that bad? – No. Exactly. We can do it. Yes, there’s times we need to be with other people – but then there’s times when a video call will just work – imagine the CO2 emissions you’re saving.

Our habits overall have changed – and for the better. Valuing our time. Because… we are on borrowed time. Use it wisely. Once it’s gone… it’s gone. And we got to be sensible, but more importantly… be efficient with our time.

So what is the new normal?

Being Innovative.

Thinking Differently.

Solving Problems.

Think different - Wikipedia

The ‘new normal’ will be different. Will be better.

Companies (most of…) have had to adapt. And we have to also. Take schooling for example… more online teaching/courses… but taking advantage of being able to educated online. Yes…it’s not new… but when the need has come, it’s pushed people to use and and many have realised it’s actually quite good.

You’ve also got Personal Trainers explaining how to exercise at home. Do we really need the gym?

For me… I’ve started walking more. Even downloaded the Map My Walk app – and now having ‘friendly’ competition with friends…

Dublin Walking Routes - The best walking routes in Dublin, Leinster

And it’s working wonders! Burning calories. Having fun. Feeling fitter.

Why didn’t I do this before?

Because we needed something to happen for us to appreciate life.

The ‘New Normal’.

It’s definitely different.

Definitely better.

Categories
Uncategorized

Bal’s Friday Thought…

Was speaking to a friend this evening… she’s not enjoying her job, lots going on and I said to her, we gotta follow our passions – we’re not here for long. Time is limited.

Categories
Shopping

In-Store or To Your Door!

Times have changed. I’m not going to talk about how this pandemic has changed our shopping habits – how we have been ‘forced’ to shop online – as shops are closed… but I did want to talk about how companies have adapted. Quickly. And some who have not.

The latest phrase I saw was… In-Store or To Your Door! – which I thought was great. Simple. Catchy and more importantly a very simple approach to how you can get your goods.

But as a company, how quick can you move?

Very quick. All depends on you. Are you ready to change? Are you ready to adapt?

Heinz to Home. Heinz being able to deliver to your home what you want from their product range. Yes there’s limits and restrictions but the key thing is – you can still get your baked beans…. essentials are important, right?

There’s a few companies who have upped their online presence and upped their game to sell online. But then there’s a few who haven’t.

Take Primark for example. £650m a month to zero. Their business model is all in-store. Nothing online. They don’t offer you an opportunity to purchase anything online.

How to buy Primark online by using eBay, ASOS and Amazon ...

Now – this was tweeted earlier in the week.

Primark has it’s own website. They have all the clothes listed with information etc… How hard is it to built a payment mechanism so people can add garments to a ‘trolley’, ‘checkout’ and then ‘pay’…?

Ok… Primark don’t want to do that. What’s stopping me?

Well, Bal… you don’t have the Primark website!

No. But www. primarkonline.store is available to buy. I can ‘ask’ to copy the images. And if I could get an agreement to buy bulk clothes from Primark, in a matter of no time…. I could be selling Primark clothes online!

Yes… question could be, do people want to buy clothes online if they’re not going out… everything is on lockdown. Maybe… it could be people need more homewear… lounge wear… nightwear… etc…

The point is…. make your business model reflect the conditions. Put in place what you can, to ensure it’ll be in store…. or ensure, you can get it to their door!

I’m not offering any services to set organisations and/or businesses up to function online… but am offering a service where I can advise you, point you in the right direction to set it up yourself (because I’ll be honest – it’s really easy!) and I can guide you.. on how to adapt. The key thing is – where’s your customer… and how can you get your product to them.

Goes back to the basics of Lean Thinking (if you don’t know about Lean Thinking – you should go google it and research it!) – it’s all about the timeline from when a customer orders to the moment they receive the goods and you get the money.

That should be the shortest amount of time possible.

Categories
Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

How crazy are you? Ok… let me re-phrase, how much self-believe do you have? – I’ll be honest, there’s times when I have little self-belief…. but then I re-programme myself and think differently. Not easy for sure… but there’ll be situations, occurrences, times… in your life that should enable you to believe you can do anything in life.