No one is ever going to say on their deathbed “Gee, I wish I had spent more time in the office” including me, so yesterday, I played hooky from work.
Yesterday a new family member was born! My brother and his wife had a baby, a beautiful healthy little girl. And I was there to witness the whole thing.
OK, not the WHOLE thing, as I wasn’t in the room when the baby was born and didn’t watch the miracle of birth first hand, but I was in the waiting room and saw my new niece within 15 minutes of being …read more

 
Often when I have a day off, I say I’m going to stay out of my e-mail, my voicemail, and everything else, but I seldom do. Instead of taking a vacation, I take a facation.
You know what I mean, don’t you?
It’s a fake vacation. You stay connected and though you’re not in the office, you still do all the things you’d normally do if you were at your desk and in your office.
Today, I’m going to take a REAL vacation and only do what I want to do.
I’m going to be offline, working on re-writing some of my upcoming book …read more

A few months back I reviewed what I thought was the coolest chair I’d ever sat in, a tangerine Sumo chair. It was wonderful, and any kids that come over to my house to play love it. It’s also still super fun for me to sit in when I’m relaxing while playing on my new Nintendo Wii.
About a month ago, I got the Sumo Gigantor Chair to review for this blog, and I’m delighted to share this wonderful chair with you. The folks at Sumo promise this is the most comfortable chair ever, and I would have to agree: …read more

Info, info, info, info, info, info, info, info….everywhere but not a drop to think?
Are you bobbing, almost drowning, in a sea of information?
Take this article, why are you reading it? Don’t go away just yet, I have my own simple answer at the end.
We have reached the point where the productivity experts are just adding to that sea of information with their habits, tips, and endless suggestions about how to cope with our terrible information plight.

According to a recent article in msnbc a majority of workers feel overwhelmed by a deluge of data:

7 out of 10 office workers in the United States …read more

Don’t go into work with a frog in your throat rather get yourself ready to leap into management with these surefire success tips that are guaranteed to have you leapfrogging over others into the upper echelons of leadership in no time.

Here are your 9 success tips for the first day of being a new manager:

Clip your nose hairs because you will frequently want to rove around the office, point to your nose, and say, “something stinks around here.” This is a great way to recognize and appreciate your staff.
If you normally wear glasses, don’t. You will want employees to see the whites of …read more

Everyone knows that work can put a damper on your family life. If you haven’t decided to completely jettison your family, as I suggested in a previous post, this tip might help.

It’s easy to get carried away at the office, and end up working 6 or 7 hours past your usual working time. It happens. But on nights like those, you still want to tuck your little bundles of joy into bed. Well, technology has changed our lives once again.

Here at our Rib Riot offices, I’ve started a new initiative called “Tuck Away …read more

This is a tough time in any middle manager’s life. The time when you finally realize that you care more about your job than your family.
I remember when I told my Dad. He was crushed, but it felt great to release the burden I was carrying around. I also gained more free time that I wouldn’t have otherwise had available. It was nice to know I didn’t have to visit him in the nursing home anymore and I could be myself again.
So, how do you broach this touchy subject? The best way to start is …read more

This is a guest post from Stephen Smith
You may have heard that it’s easy to be a slacker, but it is not as easy as they think. If you are not careful you can go from slacker to loser in a hurry. And no one wants that! Here are five three simple characteristics of a successful slacker manager, which you can put into practice without too much effort at all.
1. Clear Thinking
When was that last time you sat down and did some serious thinking? I mean real, honest-to-goodness thinking. Without the radio on, or in front of the TV, no …read more

I tend to keep my blogging for this site and my employee engagement site professional with minimal self-disclosure.
I am very comfortable with disclosure but I will do this on www.diehappytoday.com - my site for happiness and personal development.
 
A while back on Slacker Manager, Phil laid down the challenge to write about 6 things you don’t know about me. So here it is.
Grab a beer or a coffee if you prefer and have a more personal insight into 1/2 of Slacker Manager.

Yes, my last name really is Zinger. Like Phil I am also colorblind and I have used the pink ball as a cue …read more

It’s that time of year again when most companies have holiday parties, which means most managers have to make an appearance and show their best side, at least for a few minutes. Being an office holiday party veteran, and having not always been as savvy about things as I am now, I thought I’d share my tips for surviving the holiday party. Share your favorite tips, or horror stories, in the comments section.

Moderation is the key – Don’t eat too much, don’t drink too much, and for heaven’s sake, don’t dance too much. Just be moderate and have a little …read more