Are Workers’ Perks Good for Productivity, or a Flashy Waste of Money? Two Experts Weigh in | Inc.com

November 12, 2018November 11, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Axe-throwing classes. Onsite barbershops. Free gym memberships and catered lunches. Do they bond workers to a company and boost productivity, or do they blow resources in a very colorful way? To find out, Inc. called on two noted thinkers on the topic, who espouse thought-provoking–and vastly different–answers to the question.

What explains the rise of perk culture?

Jody Thompson: We like to see people in the workplace, so we provide amenities and spend money on making the office nicer. But work isn’t somewhere you go. It’s something you do.

Phil Libin: There’s a tendency for tech companies and startups to look at all aspects of work-life balance, and create programs that increase productivity and retention.

My new Writing Room / Sanctuary. Features a monster desk! | IKEA Hackers

November 12, 2018November 11, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

I’ve recently taken up writing again, but I needed a nice quiet place to do that – and a place that makes me feel peaceful and happy. We decided to fit out a spare junk room into a writing room, a functional working space.

First, we painted it a lovely pale blue and then decided to make a monster desk out of METOD kitchen cabinets. It was put together over a few weekends – but really probably you should allow two solid days to do this properly (not counting the work to glue up the pinboard).

Here’s what Samsung’s wacky folding phone looks like in action | TechCrunch

November 9, 2018November 8, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As rumored, Samsung showed off a prototype of a folding display today. Folded, it’s a smartphone. Unfolded, it’s a tablet. Neat!

Less neat: The company sort of went out of its way to not really show very much. A prototype was onstage for about 45 seconds, and it was deliberately backlit to be intensely silhouetted. They “disguised the elements of the design” to keep secret whatever secret sauce they have.

Finding that clip of the prototype folding/unfolding means digging through Samsung’s two-hour developer keynote, so we went ahead and GIF’d it up for you.

5 Principles of Personal Growth that Every Entrepreneur Should Adopt | Getentrepreneurial

November 8, 2018November 7, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Entrepreneurship is about creating and growing a business, but don’t let that concept consume you. If you want to be an effective entrepreneur, boss, leader, teammate, and visionary, you can’t be content to only make changes and spark growth in your business—you have to make changes and spark growth in yourself as well.

Your personal growth is what’s going to equip you to carve a path to success:

You’ll gain knowledge to make better decisions.
You’ll develop skills to expand to new areas.
You’ll earn experience to apply different perspectives and engage your creativity.
You’ll transcend your business, so that when your business is sold (or when you depart some other way), you’ll be able to do even more in your next venture.

Waze’s New Audio Player Aims to Make Your Commute More Bearable | Digital Trends

November 7, 2018November 6, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Waze already offers Spotify integration but the popular navigation app has just announced the addition of more streaming services as part of the launch of a new audio player.

In a bid to make your commute a little more bearable, Waze is adding support for Pandora, Deezer, iHeartRadio, NPR One, Scribd, Stitcher, and TuneIn, giving you easy access to more music tracks, podcasts, audiobooks, radio shows, and news.

Why Do People Like Pumpkin Spice So Much? | Live Science

November 2, 2018October 31, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Mmm, that spicy-sweet scent that takes over coffee shops, bakeries and entire aisles at the grocery store is a good indication that autumn has arrived. But what is it about this seasonal trend — that is, infusing pumpkin spice flavor into all kinds of treats — that makes it a fall favorite?

The answer has to do with how our brains respond to nostalgia, marketing and the sweet taste that often comes along with the spice, said Catherine Franssen, assistant professor of biopsychology and director of neurostudies at Longwood University in Virginia.

How to Use Twitter for Marketing | Business News Daily

November 2, 2018October 31, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

All small businesses should have some sort of social media presence. The key is deciding what social media platforms are right for your business, and how to use the platforms to best market your products and services.

While Twitter isn’t the best social media platform for all businesses, for those that use it, it can be a powerful marketing and customer service tool. Business News Daily talked to small business owners and social media experts about how small businesses can market their brands on Twitter. Here are four tips.

How to Work Under Pressure so You Won’t Burn Yourself Out | Life Hack

November 1, 2018October 31, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The stress to perform above and beyond at work can have unwanted effects if not managed efficiently—especially when working in a high-pressure environment.

One of these effects is called burnout. Burnout can make you feel overwhelmed, exhausted, frustrated, unmotivated, and just plain done with your position. (Here’re more early signs of a burnout!)

Feeling burnt out at the office is the exact opposite of feeling happy and fulfilled in your work, and can lead to a huge dip in overall life satisfaction.

Why Buy 1 House In California When You Can Get 6 In Texas? | Forbes

October 31, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It’s becoming obvious, if it wasn’t already, that California real estate is uniquely expensive compared to the rest of the country. According to Zillow’s September index, the median price for a single-family home in the state — $549,000 — is high, but house prices are even higher in its four biggest cities:

Los Angeles: $898,949
San Diego: $848,500
San Jose: $1,099,990
San Francisco: $1,400,000

In the majority of major American cities, you’d pay less for a house. And in many, you could buy several houses for the cost of a single home in a California city.

10 Must-Read Email Newsletters for Small Business Owners | AllBusiness.com

October 31, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

With the wealth of information the internet offers, there simply isn’t enough time to sort through all of it. Newsletters, however, can send you smart, targeted information and stories on the topics that are important to you, directly to your inbox.

When you’re running a small business, I know your time comes at a premium, and you can’t waste a moment searching for the best content—or by extension—the best newsletters. So here’s a list of 10 newsletters that are worth subscribing to—and maybe they’ll even inspire you to start sending out emails of your own.