coWORKing Coffee Talk: Rejecting “Busy” – Sept 9th 2014
I haven’t been writing as many blogs lately. Have you noticed? Somehow I’ve been wrapped up in being busy. Last year I deliberately rejected that term, “busy.” We all use it way too much. It’s a badge of honor, a standard response, a socially acceptable state. “How are you?” “Busy.” If you aren’t “busy” your […]
coWORKing Coffee Talk: Culture Moderating Behavior in Two Acts – Aug 19th 2014
Last week we talked about flocking behaviors and the hive mentality. This week we were on to the prisoner’s dilemma and game theory. How we act and the elements at play in controlling our behaviors make for a rousing conversation. Here are a few highlights: Split or steal? What would you do? The British game […]
coWORKing Coffee Talk: Happy Birthday, WORK! Top 2 reasons WORK works – July 29th 2014
What makes WORK work? We had a great discussion about the benefits – and challenges – of coworking. Perfect timing, considering it is our two-year anniversary this month! Coworking isn’t perfect. The need for privacy and the awkwardness of public phone calls are probably our biggest issues (look for a new phone booth coming soon!). […]
coWORKing Coffee Talk: Culture At Work – July 22nd 2014
Somewhat mysteriously, conventions take hold and permeate a group – a set of beliefs, a way of doing things, a value system that is passed down from generation to generation. Schools, towns, companies – any collection of people can create a culture. Mike told us about the culture at his alma mater, the University of […]
coWORKing Coffee Talk: Productivity – July 15th 2014
How much do you work? Is it enough? Is it efficient? Is it sustainable? In an age of “efficiency experts” and “total quality management,” we have to wonder about the efficacy of all these trends. Jeffrey likes to nap. While others might opt to go out for coffee or peruse Facebook during the afternoon lull, […]
coWORKing Coffee Talk: A Good Laugh – June 10th 2014
Want to feel better? Try a good cathartic laugh. Coffee social usually makes me smile but today was particularly funny- and after a frazzled morning, it was just what I needed. This is one of the big benefits of coworking in my book. If you’re working independently and holed up in a private office it’s […]
TEDx Sonoma County: Balancing Drive and Acceptance- June 17th 2014
Say you’re five hundred feet from the top of Mt. Whitney. It’s getting late and you’ve literally been crawling your way up, sometimes on all fours. Your friend asks if you want to turn back or keep going. What do you say? ‘Going to the Edge’ was the title of this year’s TEDx Sonoma County […]
coWORKing Coffee Talk: For the Love of Art! May 27th 2014
A couple of years ago when my friend (and WORK member numero uno), Amy Critchett, became the executive producer for The Bay Lights project and the economy was hurting, some people questioned the value of art and many thought this multi-million dollar project would never get off the ground. Alas, the bridge is now alight […]
coWORKing Coffee Talk: Reading/Writing Evolution – May 13th 2014
Writers are often told to tailor their work to a fifth grade reading level- easy words, short sentences, simple ideas. As written material evolves from physical books and magazines to digital blogs and posts, the content is further revised to fit the screen of your laptop. And now, with the prevalence of smart phones (AKA […]
coWORKing Coffee Talk: Play to Learn, Learn to Play- May 6th 2014
Play is the universal mechanism for learning. Humans may try to make education serious and rigid but mammals have this amazing ability to have fun while they learn- a brilliant evolutionary adaptation encouraging us to master complex skills while enjoying the experience. So we should think about games as more than entertainment. How can they […]