Take action to solve midcareer boredom Sometimes making a small change to your day-to-day routine or learning a new skill can rejuvenate you, says Gianpiero Petriglieri, an associate professor at INSEAD. If you're feeling a sense of malaise, identify whether it's the job or the organization causing it. Harvard Business Review online (tiered subscription model) (8/2)How learning experiences can increase productivity Aspects of life seemingly unrelated to your job can be beneficial to workflow and productivity at the office, business coach Bruce Eckfeldt writes. He shares an example in which a cooking class helped him understand the importance of teamwork, clear guidelines and goals. Forbes (8/2)
The Landscape
Is it time to ditch the 9-to-5 workday? Abandoning the 9-to-5 workday and embracing a more flexible model could aid women's advancement, advocates say. However, companies should recognize that flexible arrangements affect everyone and not frame the discussion exclusively around women, they say. CNNMoney (7/30)
Mention the hiring manager by name in a cover letter, as well as any mutual contacts you may have, Andy Talajkowski writes. Express enthusiasm for the position and provide examples of times you've demonstrated teamwork. Glassdoor (8/2)
Balancing Yourself
Meditation may hinder motivation, study suggests A recent study concluded that motivation levels drop following 15 minutes of meditation. Psychologist Peter Malinowski points out, however, that mindfulness meditation is a learned skill and many of the study's participants had never meditated before. BBC (8/3)
If you had invested $10,000 in Apple in 1984 and held on to it until now, your investment would be worth $3.8 million, Ryan Derousseau writes. Similar investments in 1997 and 2007 would be worth $2.5 million and $114,260, respectively. CNNMoney (8/2)
In matters of the heart, nothing is true except the improbable.
