My New Job Meant Waking Up Early (at 4 AM) - The Muse

My New Job Meant Waking Up Early (at 4 AM) - The Muse My New Job Meant Waking Up Early (at 4 AM) There are very few things I value more than sleep. So when I got an opportunity to work on an entertainment news television show, I was jazzed- until I learned what the hours were. The new job would require waking up early- as in 4 AM- so I could be at work by 5 AM, with my workday finishing up by 1:30 PM. Sure, I’d still be working about eight hours a day, just quite a bit earlier than your standard 9 to 5. Accepting this role meant accepting my entire life was about to change. Not only would I be starting a new job- a unique challenge in and of itself- but I’d also be moving across the country to do it. I’d be acclimating to a new position with a new company in a different city with a different time zone and a bonkers new work schedule. And I’d have to make this adjustment all at once and preferably without exploding all over the open-office floor plan. To top it all off, the early-bird shift meant reining in my side hustle as a freelance writer and stand-up comedian, at least while I was getting settled. As a general rule, most comedy-related events start late and end really late. I knew taking the TV gig meant I’d have to trim my performance schedule, but I was hopeful (or delusional) and believed I could manage both. A month in, I’ve learned a few things about how to make a transition like this without sacrificing your sleep, social life, or stability. Everything Was Great I hopped off the plane at LAX with a dream and a month’s worth of it’s-chilly-before-sunrise cardigans. (The rest of my stuff would arrive during the official move later on.) I had to start work at 5 AM the next day, so I went to bed early. For once, jet lag was on my side. My body was so confused by the changes in time, location, and climate that it gave up and I fell asleep without a problem. I was able to enforce my 9 PM bedtime almost every night and had no issues waking up at 4 AM each morning. I tried to exercise daily, usually right after work, assuming it’d help regulate my sleep schedule. I began showering at night, which felt weird, but it was the only way to ensure I didn’t give up on hygiene altogether. Things were going so well that I started to suspect I was invincible or- maybe, possibly- a morning person. I was feeling great about all my life choices until Saturday, when my car got entangled in a three-car pileup on the freeway caused by a hit-and-run driver. This turned out to be an accurate foreshadowing of the week to come. Everything Was Terrible The move, the job, the schedule- it all caught up to me. Whatever enthusiasm and adrenaline had been propelling me through the previous week was gone and I felt exhausted all the time. I experimented with naps, but was spending most of my free time on the phone arguing with the rental car company over the accident, which had the opposite of a sedating effect. Since I was struggling to control my sleep and stress levels, I worked instead to regulate my eating. But I couldn’t quite nail down the best times to eat to maximize my energy. The only thing I knew for sure was that my company gives us free bagels on Thursdays, so I was relieved to have one meal figured out. Ilana Gordon performing in Los Angeles courtesy of Ilana Gordon. Eager to establish myself in my new city, I pushed myself to go out and perform almost every night and found myself crashing into bed between 10 PM and midnight. But that was a mistake. I limped toward the weekend and spent my time off catching up on sleep and planning how I’d make the next week less awful. My new co-workers shared their tricks for surviving the transition, suggesting everything from blackout curtains to melatonin, all of which I’ve yet to try. One kept it real and told me that six months into his tenure, he still hadn’t fully adjusted. Everything Was a Compromise After two weeks of extremes, I was craving balance. With the exception of lunch, I stopped messing around with full meals and instead focused on eating healthy, protein-filled snacks throughout the day. Since my job requires me to spend lots of time in front of both TV and computer screens, I tried to take hourly stretch breaks to stay loose and focused. With the car situation finally behind me, I could devote more time to exploring and enjoying my new city. I accepted that I’m not a nap person and stopped trying. And I made an effort to take advantage of my afternoons, arranging to meet up with friends during happy hour. I set a rule that I couldn’t stay up past 9 PM two nights in a row. So I couldn’t be as spontaneous, but I could stay out later on nights when I really needed to. I discovered I couldn’t have the same social life I previously did, but with intention, careful planning, and caffeine, I could come pretty close. This transition isn’t over, but I’m already wiser. As much as I love sleeping in, I’m actually a morning person. While my body enjoys getting 10 hours of sleep, it really only needs seven to function. That said, it’s crucial for me to get those seven hours of sleep consistently. Mostly I have to be conscious of not overdoing it and cognizant that my body’s still reacting to this new schedule differently every week. I’m lucky that many people in LA have non-traditional work schedules, which makes it easier for me to make plans with people during the day. And I’m lucky to have supportive friends who don’t make me feel bad for bailing early on weeknights and understand when I nod off during movies. As much as I loathe to admit it, having a consistent exercise routine has been so helpful. On days when I’m struggling, working out and drinking water have helped me push through. My challenge going forward will be to remember this particular lesson as I become more settled and have better offers for entertainment than the elliptical. Having unconventional hours comes with some great perks, too. My commute in the morning is a dream and it’s great to feel like I’ve freed up so many hours in my day. I wouldn’t have picked this schedule on my own, but now that it’s mine, I’m learning to love it. And on days when I’m too tired to love it, at least I know I can live with it.

The Engineering Behind Brain Research

The Engineering Behind Brain Research The Engineering Behind Brain Research The Engineering Behind Brain Research Much about the human brain remains a mystery. The effort to solve that mystery unites engineers with biologists, psychologists, and researchers from many other disciplines. While that interdisciplinary work takes many forms, more and more engineers are bringing mathematical models, algorithms, and technological expertise to the studies. The brain is a computing device, just not like anything weve built before, said James DiCarlo, a professor of neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We have to build and describe things in engineering terms to really understand it. Not just the phenomenology of the brain, but to understand these interactions in ways you can see. Implanted electrodes deliver a small amount of electrical current to a specific part of the brain that is overactive in people with depression. Image: Michael Konomos / Emory University Phenomenology is the study of consciousness, how and why we think and what we think about. Its the stuff of philosophers. Engineers have a different role in the science of the brainunderstanding and interpreting the signals it sends, such as those used to move a muscle. A useful analogy is that of the brain as a complex information processor, DiCarlo said. We can try to build things in engineering terms, and describe it in engineering terms that will help us understand it, not just measure it. Editors Choice: Innovations in Biomaterials Create New Roles for Engineers If researchers understand how neurons in the brain affect function, they may be able to stimulate the brain or use some other methods to help people with neurological disorders that affect motor control such as paralysis or Parkinsons disease. Engineers in larger numbers are joining other scientists in brain research. Iowa State University, for example, recently unveiled its Big Data Brain Initiative. It combines faculty from the colleges of engineering, human science, veterinary medicine, and design, who will work together on brain research. Theres also the five-year-old Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, a public-private research program started by the Obama administration. The goal is to create technologies that researchers can use to form a picture of the brain that depicts how individual cells and complex neural circuits interact. In the absence of that overall picture, researchers strive to understand big issues, such as signals that initiate and control movement. Its easy to move a muscle, but understanding and measuring the brain-signals involved is an entirely different matter. ASME TechCast:Hear MITs Evelyn Wangon the Future of Mechanical Engineering Education Scientists can now record the electrical activity the nervous system uses to control complex skills, said Samuel Sober, an associate professor of biology at Emory University, who studies the brain and nervous system. Whats missing is the technology to precisely record the electrical signals of the muscles that ultimately control that movement. The signals of the brain and the muscle signals work together to move the muscle, so understanding the role of the muscle is vital to understanding how the brain controls its movement. To investigate the relationship between them, researchers in Sobers lab studied the singing behavior of Bengalese finches. Lots of studies look at brain activity and how it relates to behaviors, but muscles are what translates the brains output into behavior, Sober said. We wanted to understand the physics and biomechanics of what a songbirds muscles are doing while singing. The researchers used an electromyography (EMG) machine to measure how the neural activity of the bird activates a vocal muscle to produce a particular sound. An EMG measures the electrical activity of muscle during rest, slight contraction and forceful contraction. More on Inspiration from Nature: How Elephants Use Their Tails to Chase Away Mosquitoes Researchers in the Emory lab created a 16-electrode prototype device for this purpose, but knew they would need to expand on it to get a fuller picture into how neural signals control muscle movement, Sober says. Still, their prototype device returned some interesting findings. In experiments using our prototype, we discovered that, just like in brain cells, precise spike timing patterns in muscle cells are critical for controlling behavior, in this case, breathing, Sober said. To create a more elaborate device, Emory researchers turned to engineering expertise. They recently teamed with engineers at Georgia Tech to create a device that can record electrical action potentials or spikes within the songbirds vocal muscles. The device will record populations of spikes from all of the muscles involved in controlling a complex behavior, said Muhannad Bakir, a professor in Georgia Techs School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The device will give researchers access to the neural signals that control muscles, helping them investigate how the brain controls the body, Sober said. Bakirs team plans to create a micro-scale EMG sensor array, containing more than 1,000 electrodes, to record single-cellular data across many muscles. A complete understanding of how the brain operates on the cellular level may still be well in the future, but engineers are helping researchers take the steps needed to get there. Jean Thilmany is a freelance writer in St. Paul who frequently writes about engineering topics. Read More Exclusive Content from ASME.org: Using the Eyes of Killer Shrimp to Design a New Camera Artificial and 3D-Printed Skin Advances for Robots, Humans Tiny Gyroscope Aims to Improve Wearable, Nano Technology Whats missing is the technology to precisely record the electrical signals of the muscles that ultimately control movement. Samuel Sober, Emory Universit

9 Things You Shouldnt Wear on a Job Interview

9 Things You Shouldnt Wear on a Job Interview 9 Things You Shouldnt Wear on a Job Interview A big part of getting a job is making a good first impression, and a big part of making a good first impression is  how you dress for the interview. While you dont have to spend a lot of money on your wardrobe, putting in a little extra effort will pay off in the long run. Before your next interview, make sure you arent making any interview attire mistakes.   01 Keep Bright, Flashy Colors to a Minimum Jamie Grill / Getty Images Both women and men should keep accessories to a minimum. Ladies should avoid excess jewelry; instead of big hoops or chandelier earrings, opt for classic studs. Its also a good idea to avoid wearing flashy necklaces, large sunglasses, or anything bedazzled.While accessories arent so much of an issue for men, its important to be mindful of your cufflinks, your tie clip, and your belt; dont wear anything you might wear out to a club, for example.Regardless of the accessories, you choose to wear, just remember that you want to look polished and professional. Dont let your outfit detract from the focus on the interview: you, your work experience, and how you would be the best fit for the job you want.

4 ways to avoid messing up your job interview with a CEO

4 ways to avoid messing up your job interview with a CEO 4 ways to avoid messing up your job interview with a CEO Interviewing for a job with a company’s CEO can add a lot of pressure, so you’ll want to make sure you do everything you possibly can to prepare â€" confidence is key.  Here are four ways to lessen your chances of messing up.Lawrence Coburn, CEO of DoubleDutch, former CEO of RateItAll and board member for Fuzzy, writes in Mashable about questions  you should pose to the CEO of a startup during an interview. One of the questions is: “Who is your competition?”“There are a lot of companies out there claiming to be the best fill-in-the-blank technology on the market, but if there’s someone else doing it better and for cheaper, you better believe they’ll have the competitive advantage over your organization,” he writes. “The way a CEO answers this question is also a good indication of his or her level of honesty. If a CEO is cagey, uncomfortable or affronted when you ask him or her about the competition, you should be concerned.”Don’t show up mentally empty-handedCom e up with something beforehand.Connor Gillivan, an author, CMO of FreeeUp and CEO of Portlight, writes on his site about “how to further impress the CEO” during an interview, after exploring potential questions to ask. The post was based on a Quora question about what to ask the CEO of a startup during an interview.“To further impress the CEO, come to the interview with your own ideas and share them if you have the opportunity. The CEO wants people on their team that have the ability to critically think for themselves and can challenge the norms in positive ways,” he writes. “A strong interest and opinion in the matters mentioned above will also indicate that you have potential to grow within the company and become a leader for the team.”Know your personal narrative inside and outJulia Hartz, co-founder and president of Eventbrite, writes in The Muse about how she and her co-founder typically interview candidates, showing that it’s important to have your narrative down pat.“After we introduce ourselves, I usually start by asking the candidate to tell me his or her story (which I know is a daunting request!). Interviewees tend to search for clues, wondering where to start in their life story. What I’m really looking for is a great summary of the interviewee’s life and career, but not for just entertainment value (although I love a great story). I’m specifically looking for three things: motivation, intention, and conviction,” she writes.Don’t even think about skimping on sleepThis can only backfire.Indeed’s career guide shows what to do before your last interview for a job, pointing out that you could meet with the CEO if the company isn’t a large one.“Get a full night’s sleep before your interview. Some final round interviews are drawn out over several hours as you meet with different people in the company. It’s crucial that you keep your energy level high in each conversation. Remember that it’s ok to ask for restroom bre aks or a drink of water between interviews,” the guide says. “Hiring decisions are made differently at different companies and you don’t know who on the interview committee may be able to veto a decision to hire you. Treat everyone with the utmost respect and don’t let your stamina drop as the day goes on.”

Wont you get ignored if youre this vague

Won’t you get ignored if you’re this vague Won’t you get ignored if you’re this vague “Oh, I’m looking for anything,” you might tell good friends who ask.It’s a problem.Because in today’s economy, no employer is looking for a “VP, Anything”, or a “Director of Whatever Needs to Be Done.” They’re looking for an experienced professional who can solve specific problems.When you’re thinking about moving jobs, you need to have a brief, pithy assertion of who you are and what you’re qualified to do. It’s important that you be able to explain to an old colleague, or a new connection, in 30 seconds or less, what it is that you’re looking for.That’s called an “elevator pitch” - a concise statement of your abilities and goals that can be shared in the time it takes an elevator to go to the top floor.Vague and general aren’t helpful:“I’m a saleswoman”, or…“I’m in logistics”, or…“I’m a finance guy”, don’t work because they don’t explain succinctly what you need and how your audience can help.No, in the 21st century you need to be more precise and more concrete. You need to describe what you’ve done and what you’re looking to do… specifically.So it’s not “I’m a saleswoman” but rather…“I’m a sales management professional looking to lead a 100+ person sales organization, and am particularly interested in opportunities leading sales teams going through the transactional-to-relationship-selling transition. I’m especially interested working for SaaS platforms.“It’s not “I’m in logistics” but rather…“I’m a logistics team leader who specializes in driving efficiency improvements in established groups, bringing down the cost of production year after year.”And it’s not “I’m a finance guy” but rather…“I’m a finance guy who enjoys rationalizing finance teams in multi-unit businesses and creating metrics and operating procedures that partner with the business to drive understanding of the underlying levers of growth.”You need to be specific and concise i n your description of your ambitions, so that your network contacts, your future boss, or an HR recruiter can understand how and where you’ll add value and improve the business.So please avoid the easy temptation to say that you’re looking for anything, and be specific in your job search. It’s the best way to let people know how to help you, and to let companies know how you’ll help them.I’m rooting for you!

4 Things to Look for During the Job Interview

4 Things to Look for During the Job Interview 4 Things to Look for During the Job Interview Are you obsessed with how youll sell yourself during the interview? Highlighting your skills, talents and abilities is certainly important, but equally important is finding a job that will be a good fit for you. You are interviewing to assess the job opportunity, your potential manager and the company. So how do you do this? You ask questions. You can, and should, level the playing field by asking questions which will turn the interview into a mutually beneficial exchange of information.You can prevent your premature departure from your next job by making sure you know as much as possible about the new opportunity and people youll be working with. The interview is the best time to get all your questions answered. Dont wait to find out until you are on the job. These questions will help get you started.[See: Tips for Surviving a Career Transition.]What are the real job responsibilities? Even if youve read the job description 100 times, you may not know the real responsibilities and ex pectations of the job. The best way to learn about the requirements is to ask questions throughout the interview. Be sure you have specific questions written out and ready to ask at the appropriate time. When the interviewer is telling you about the job requirements, listen for the opportunity to ask follow-up questions or ask the following: Why is this position available? What are the most important elements of this job? What are the three main factors you will be using to determine the right person for this job? What goals do you expect the person who takes this job to achieve during the first 30, 60, 90 days? If I was starting in this position today, what would you advise me to learn and do first? What would my interaction with my teammates be like?[See: The 25 Best Jobs of 2018.]Will you like working for this manager? Theres a saying that employees dont leave companies, they leave managers. Pay attention to how your future boss interacts with you during the interview. You want t o gain an understanding of how your future boss will manage and lead you. The best way to do this is by asking questions about how he or she has managed people in the past and what their employees have gone on to do. And dont be afraid to take notes. The interviewer is taking notes too. Taking notes shows you are listening and interested. These questions can help you understand your future manager better: How will I be evaluated in this role? What are the main indicators of success? What type of work do you delegate to your team? Has anyone on your team been promoted over the last couple of years? If so, what was the reason? What would be something your employees say you do extremely well? What type of recognition have you recently given to one of your staff? Can you tell me how you give feedback to your direct reports?Will you like your future co-workers? Your co-workers can make or break your satisfaction with the job. Since so much of work today is team-based, its important to le arn as much about them as possible. At some point during the interview process, you should have the opportunity to meet some of your potential co-workers. You want to understand each individuals role on the team and how they interact with each other. If you have been offered a job and still havent had the opportunity to meet your future teammates, you may want to ask if you can speak with one on the phone or ask if perhaps you could come back in to meet with them. These are some questions you can use to get to know your future co-workers: Why do you like working here? How long have you been with the company? Where did you work before? What do you do in your spare time? How does your manager support and motivate your team? Whats one thing you would change about the company if you could?[See: 10 Ways Social Media Can Help You Land a Job.]Can you see yourself working for this company? A companys culture or style of doing business can either make it a great place to work or make you mis erable. It is often difficult to define what the culture is, but there are things a company does or doesnt do that will help you evaluate the culture. Try asking some of these questions during your interview: What do you consider to be your companys most important assets? Does the company welcome celebrating special occasions? What was the last occasion your department celebrated? What kind of philanthropy does the company contribute to or participate in? What opportunities do you make available for professional development and training? Whats the process for onboarding employees?

Google reveals its secret recipe for leadership success

Google reveals its secret recipe for leadership success Google reveals its secret recipe for leadership success Over 2 million people want to to work for Google. Now the technology giant is sharing its very own management tools and insight  with the public, free of charge.The richly detailed guidance,  based on company research,  shows how Google trains its engineers and others to become leaders of teams.It’s reportedly normal for Google to train new managers when they’ve been on the job for 45-90 days- in other words, when they’ve already spent time leading their teams. Google discovered that  managers are most open to getting better after they’ve started working and have “experience” to draw upon.Although Google provides an  exhaustive amount of  training materials on its re:Work blog- including a new manager student workbook, new manager training presentation slides, and a new manager training facilitator guide that you can use at your workplace, all of which you can download as PDFs or open as Google Docs on Drive- here are a few things you can learn.After all, it’s impor tant for employers not to leave managers- especially first-time ones- in the deep end without any real direction.How to be a good communicatorCommunication at work is a two-way street: employees and managers must be able to have transparent conversations about expectations, assignments and everything in between.According to Google’s New Manager Project Workbook,  Google’s Project Oxygen says that “great” supervisors at the company share eight main characteristics. The research was conducted by Google’s PiLab in 2009, and Gallup research reportedly “confirms similar attributes.”One of the them is being “a good communicator,” which means both hearing and volunteering information.A few other factors identified in each “high-scoring manager” are: being “productive” and guided by results, possessing “technical” abilities that can be used to aid the team, and being someone who “empowers” their reports and doesn’t engage in micromanagement.How to “pr actice empathic listening”Google’s New Manager Training Slides explore the topic of listening  and couple it with an activity, showing that it boils down to two things- “hearing what the other person is saying” and “noticing other person’s energy, mood, tone of voice.”A few actions that fall under the first umbrella are: giving your undivided attention to who is speaking, hearing them out, rephrasing what they said into your own words to make sure you have it right and having the person clear up anything you don’t understand.A few actions that fall under the second umbrella are: paying attention to “your gut/intuition” and identifying what it is, thinking of what the person isn’t communicating out loud, and showing empathy by saying something like, “I hear you are frustrated by XX.”You can’t expect to lead your team  effectively- especially as a new manager, when you’re proving your worth and eagerness to help direct reports and your department succeed - if you don’t listen to each person’s input.Also keep in mind that being granted a “manager” or “supervisor” title does not mean you’ve automatically learned everything there is to know about your field, so be receptive to perspectives other than yours.Want to find out more about your team? Do thisThe New Manager Student Workbook features a “conversation guide” managers can use to learn more about their employees.It outlines four steps in detail, in this order: organizing the meeting, learning more about your direct report, how to “open up” the discussion (giving the employee the opportunity to find out more about you, their manager) and how to end it.Something that stood out in the first section is how to “set the tone and objective” of the gathering. Google provides two sample lines, including: “We’ve gone through a lot of change recently and I want to understand your work style, your history, what you’re passionate about, your career interest and goals, and how I can best support you. We won’t cover everything today but I wanted to at least start the conversation.”The second section features questions to ask reports about themselves, their work, and how they operate (“working style”), which can be used over the course of multiple one-on-one meetings.A smart question in “working style” section was this: “How do you like to be managed (e.g., likes structure, loves autonomy, works best alone, wants to be part of a team)?”It recognizes that there’s no one correct way to work, and each person has their preferences. But it also emphasizes discussion between managers and the people on their teams. It’s that kind of empathy that strengthens morale.