Technology Can’t Fix Everything
I’ve been in a bad mood this week, and have been having a hard time shaking it. Normally, when I can’t fix something myself (or I know there just has to be a better way to do what I’m trying to do), I look for a piece of software. I found Taskbar Shuffle 2.0, for example, when I was frustrated with the inability to change the order of my taskbar items (this seems small, but can make a big difference!).
Unfortunately, there’s no software to get me out of a bad mood. Short of turning to cybernetic implants and performing a reboot, I have to rely on myself to fix the problem. Of course, that’s easier said than done. When you’re frustrated and in a bad mood, it makes fixing the fact that you’re frustrated and in a bad mood that much more difficult.
To digress from my usual subject matter, one of my favorite blogs — and it has been for some time now — is Chief Happiness Officer by Alexander Kjerulf. Alex is also the author of Happy Hour is 9 to 5, a book on happiness at work (which I luckily won a copy of, and highly recommend). The basic idea behind the site, the book, and Alex in general, if that everyone should be happy — not just satisfied — at work. And I totally agree.
I talked to several friends about some of the contributing factors to my bad mood and got great advice from them, but implementing it has been the hard part. I also decided to check out Alex’s blog and see what he had to say on the subject. I came across three articles which I wanted to share — they cover a lot of what my friends said, but sometimes it helps hearing it from another source, you know?
- How to turn around a bad day
- How not to let annoying people annoy you
- How to deal with anger at work
Great points made in all three of these articles. I’ve already accepted that I’m having a bad week, so now I’m going with “this too shall pass” and trying to be more positive.
I’m hopeful that a weekend unplugged, with my friends advice and Alex’s advice, will lend to a better week next week. And if not, maybe we can replace everyone with robots… that would solve it, right? =)
Before the robots take over, be sure to check out Alex’s blog. He’s on vacation right now (snowboarding! I’m so jealous), but has a guest blogger while he’s out. And anyway, how awesome is the title Chief Happiness Officer? I want that title (or even one of the cool titles they have at Quicken Loans now).
