Why to-do lists are too stressful Organizing life via to-do lists limits us to a rigid schedule, crowding out creative impulses and precious downtime, writes Olivia Goldhill. If you feel too dependent on your list, try tossing it, realizing what you remember is all that's worth doing, suggests Kate Lewis, chief content officer at Hearst magazines. Quartz (tiered subscription model) (7/7)What to look for in a mentor Seek a mentor whose background and experience fit your goals, writes career coach Terry Powell. Good mentors listen and engage, and they offer coaching, rather than telling you what to do. Forbes (7/10)
Making eye contact with audience members can help you connect with them and give your message meaning and authority, writes John Millen. Maintain eye contact until your point is made, and don't hesitate to seek feedback from someone you trust about your interaction style, he suggests. John Millen blog (7/6)
Poll
Poll question: How much time off are you taking this summer? Maybe it's time the US considers adopting the European Union model of paid time off, which mandates that all 28 member states must give employees a minimum of four weeks of paid vacation. Did you know the US is the only major country that doesn't have mandated paid vacation?
Many employees say they suffer work-related stress but hesitate to tell management. This article explores the stories of people who suffered from intense workplace stress and how employers responded. Financial Times (free content) (7/11)
Your Next Challenge
Make 3 lists if you lose your job Deflect the sting of losing a job by starting three lists: One focusing on career accomplishments, another naming potential networking contacts, and a final one listing preferred employers, writes Hannah Morgan. Start working on these lists as you would a job, developing a system that tracks referrals, conversations, applications and interviews. U.S. News & World Report (7/10)Replace resume cliches with examples of action The best resumes replace generic phrases, such as "results-oriented," with phrases beginning with action verbs, including "organized," "directed" and "launched," writes Dustin McKissen, founder of strategic communications firm McKissen + Company. He includes a link to samples of strong resumes that utilize these verb phrases. CNBC (7/10)
Balancing Yourself
Be present to improve recollection of the past A study finds people who practiced "moment to moment, non-judgmental awareness" improved their performance on memory tests, writes Chloe Noor Khosrowshahi. By acknowledging thoughts regarding the present without obsessing over them, we're better able to retrieve those thoughts later, says Jonathan Schooler, professor of psychological and brain sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara. Thrive Global (7/10)
The Water Cooler
Philadelphia parks use high-pitched noise to keep away teens at night The city of Philadelphia has installed Mosquitos -- small sound systems that emit a high-frequency pitch only heard by 13- to 25-year-olds -- at 31 public parks. Officials stated that the sonic devices are turned on at 10 p.m. each night with the intention of curbing rates of loitering and vandalism by teenagers in the city. Today (7/8)
Snatching the eternal out of the desperately fleeting is the great magic trick of human existence.
