mellowdrama

le daily drama of an upper west side grad student, researching information, risk and decisions / spreading cheer #uws #nyc #risk #jesus #change #economics #flourishing #columbia #coffee

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Postmodern solution to heterogeneity in cultures: "We should flee both universal values and particular identities and seek refuge from oppression in the radical autonomy of individuals; we should create spaces in which persons can keep creating "larger and freer selves" by acquiring new and losing old identities-wayward and erratic vagabonds, ambivalent and fragmented, always on the move and never doing much more than making moves."

Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace

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But just as we need to be more thoughtful about our caloric consumption, delaying gratification of our impulsive urges in order to eat more nutritiously, we need to be more thoughtful about our information consumption, resisting the allure of the mental equivalent of “junk food” in order to allocate our time and attention most effectively. So what can we do? Recognize the issue. Awareness is rarely sufficient to drive change, but it’s always the necessary first step. How often do you check your phone? Does this get in the way of other interactions? How often do you interrupt focused work to look at your inbox? Does this break your concentration or affect how long it takes to accomplish these tasks? How often do you scan various feeds? Does this result in wasted time? We face the marshmallow test constantly—are you passing or failing? See the tools around us and exert some control over them. These interruptions are deliberately provoked by the designers of the tools we use. The best tools we use come to feel like features of the landscape or even extensions of our own body; we ultimately fail to see them as tools. What tools are you using? How are they interrupting you? How do they make it easy for you to interrupt yourself? What alarms and alerts might you disable? What limits might you place on the “convenient” features that contribute to these interruptions? Manage our emotions and cultivate our capacity for mindfulness. No technical interventions will be enough unless we’re also willing to work on ourselves. Emotions are at the heart of this dynamic—the excitement and anxiety generated by new information are the fuel that drives us to interrupt ourselves over and over again, and any changes we seek to make will be contingent on our ability to access, understand and leverage these emotions rather than being impulsively driven by them. As I’ve written before, there’s no simple prescription for emotion management, but there are steps we can take: Regular physical activity and sufficient sleep are critical. Reflecting on our experiences through journaling or coaching conversations can help us understand and make sense of our emotional responses. And perhaps most importantly, even just a few minutes of meditation each day has been shown to have a powerful impact on our ability to sense our emotions and focus our attention.

HBR http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/09/the-marshmallow-test-for-grownups/?utm_source=Socialflow&utm_medium=Tweet&utm_campaign=Socialflow

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What is it about the stories that come from the victims of history, rather than from the victors?

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S. Alexander Haslam, a member of Scientific American Mind's advisory board, and his colleagues Inmaculada Adarves-Yorno and Tom Postmes wanted to debunk the prevailing myth that genius is a lone endeavor. As they recount, we rely on others at critical junctures to sharpen our thinking and to help us persevere through a difficult task. So surround yourself with people who galvanize you -- they could play a pivotal role in your own ingenuity.

Sandra Upson, Managing Editor, Scientific American Mind, Jul/Aug 2014

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The eighteenth century embraced the idea of progress; the nineteenth century had evolution; the twentieth century had growth and then innovation. Our era has disruption, which, despite its futurism, is atavistic. It’s a theory of history founded on a profound anxiety about financial collapse, an apocalyptic fear of global devastation, and shaky evidence.

Jill Lepore: What the Theory of “Disruptive Innovation” Gets Wrong : The New Yorker

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When we gossip, raise our voices, speak behind other people’s backs, offer unsolicited opinions, or make jokes at other people’s expense we’re isolating ourselves over time.

How to Speak More Strategically - Peter Bregman - Harvard Business Review

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“The aim of the architect should be to create hesitation in everyday life. They make us see the world differently, even if for a moment. And if we see the world differently, maybe we’ll think differently, and if we think differently maybe we’ll dream differently and if we dream differently well, then, maybe we can live in a different society.”

Mark Wigley, former Dean of Columbia University's Graduate School of ArchitectureMark Wigley Steps Down as Dean of Columbia University’s GSAPP | ArchDaily

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Greenway Nashville

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Meet Frankenstein #uws#puppy#fluff

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My advice to [women in academic science] would be to always ask for what you want, master the art of multitasking, and make time for mentorship – the next generation needs us now more than ever. Be as stubborn as a bull and persevere during the difficult times, and if you want children, have them.

How to get more women in science—and keep them there - Quartz

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Peaceful waters

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Sundays

Who plays Sublime at a coffee shop on Sunday mornings? Joe's Coffee, that's who. Incredible.

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Joe's Shanghai in midtown : 小笼包

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Playing it safe is dangerous. You never maintain the status quo by playing it safe. You get worse. You lose your edge. You lose your confidence. You don’t feel alive. You can’t win.

Doug Sundheim, HBR.org

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Ordinary is Extraordinary (At Least, it Will Be When You're Older)

Ordinary is Extraordinary (At Least, it Will Be When You’re Older)

Empty out that incredible bucket list, a walk through the garden with a loved one might be just as satisfying.

Simple, everyday experiences rated just as high in happiness as rare ones

did, in a recent study by Amit Bhattacharhee, visiting Assistant Professor at Tuck Business School, and Cassie Mogilnar, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Wharton.

Although extraordinary experiences are…

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Today on the Columbia campus

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Herein lie the yin and yang of uniqueness: somewhat paradoxically, we set ourselves apart by affiliating with groups of people more like us. Uniqueness emerges from the distinct combination of alliances that only you seek out.

Scientific American, "Uniquely You" April 2014