Think it over before choosing self-employment Before taking the plunge into self-employment, professionals should consider that they will have to find their own health insurance and withhold their own money for taxes, writes Geoff Williams. Self-employment also means the loss of perks like paid vacation time and can initially make it more difficult to get a loan. U.S. News & World Report (4/11)Time-blocking could boost your productivity Many professionals find that they are more productive when blocking off hours of their day for specific tasks instead of merely making to-do lists, says Georgetown University professor Cal Newport. Make sure to take into account regular interruptions in your work flow on specific days, including meetings or extended lunch breaks. Fast Company online (4/10)
Making the Connection
Tools to improve your tech job search Tech tool Comparably pairs workers in the technology field with ideal employers based on level of pay, experience and the type of work culture desired. HackerRank helps take race and gender out of the hiring process by providing programmers a platform to code anonymously as they vie for open positions. CNBC (4/10)
The Landscape
How having children affects a woman's paycheck Working mothers lose 3% of pay per child birthed and are often assigned less risky projects when they return to work, according to research by Universite Paris Saclay. Companies can address the "motherhood penalty" by offering on-site child care and paternity leave and by advocating for changes in public policy, study author Lionel Wilner says. The Independent (London) (tiered subscription model) (4/11)
Start your day off right by completing a simple chore at home and doing at least one thing that will make someone else happy, writes Stacey Lastoe. A homemade breakfast and a little reading time will also help you begin the day with a positive mindset. TheMuse.com (4/10)
The Water Cooler
Why do cars have these crazy names? Luxury cars, especially from European automakers, tend to have alphanumeric names, while mass-market American cars have for many decades gravitated toward model names, writes Dan Nosowitz. Alphanumeric names especially work for luxury vehicles because "it's the make of the car, and not the specific model, that matters," he writes. Atlas Obscura (4/7)
If you would escape moral and physical assassination, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing -- court obscurity, for only in oblivion does safety lie.
