Why Flexible Schedules Dont Work for Everyone - The Muse

Why Flexible Schedules Dont Work for Everyone - The MuseWhy Flexible Schedules Dont Work for Everyone My first two jobs out of grad school spoiled me with flexibility. While each had core business hours (i.e., be available between 10 AM to 3 PM on a regular grund), there welches no defined start time, and I welches free to leave whenever I pleased. If I wanted to exercise in the morning and arrive a little later, it welches fine. If I wanted to put in extra hours one night in order to put in a few less the next day, I could do that, too (just as I did for my birthday last year).And, though the preference was for me to be present in the office as much as possible, I could pretty much work from wherever I wanted. Like my moms house in Pennsylvania, my best friends house in New Orleans, or my favorite coffee shop at the end of the street. The overarching golden rule was Just get your stuff done, and get it done well. Which I did.The ownership I had over my schedule was pretty fantastic. I had no issues scheduling doctor appointments (no PTO hours lost is a major win), could meet up with friends or family at any time, and would commonly duck out of the building for an hour or so to attend a fitness class with some co-workers. But after almost a year at my second gig, this excellent perk started to work against me. Because it was around that time I started to realize just how unsatisfied I was professionally. I tried to ignore this feeling for a while- after all, Id left my first job only a year before, and I didnt want to admit defeat again. So, I kept telling myself to suck it up, to do whatever I could to make it better. But as hard as I tried- consistently providing my boss honest feedback alerting her to the fact that I felt disengaged exploring the possibility of a position on a different team- things didnt really change. And, besides that, it became quite apparent to me that even if some things did change, they would only be temporary fixes. Ultimately, my de sired career path was going in a different direction than the company could take me in, and theres not much that can be done to fix that other than leave- which I didnt figure out fast enough. Instead, I gave up. I became apathetic. And lazy. The freedom to flex my schedule served as my number one enabler. I started to work remotely once a week, sometimes twice. One time, after a particularly large snowstorm that shut down half of DC, I didnt go into the office for two weeks- days after the sidewalks were clear enough for me to navigate on my walk to the metro. And when I remained in my apartment, I took serious advantage of having zero supervision. I went to bed later and slept a few hours longer. I spent more time than usual at the gym mid-morning. I distracted myself with laundry and other household chores (I know- super entertaining, right?). I binge watched The Hills and Real Housewives during breaks. And I would spend a little (cough- a lot) more time on my external writing pr ojects, which I was much more passionate about. All of this was doable because my laptop remained open and on- that little green dot next to my name in the chat list indicated I was present, and I didnt stay away from it for obscene amounts of time.Dont get me wrong- I met all my hard deadlines. I finished and delivered each report on time or ahead of schedule, and I was always available to assist my teammates if needed. But those ongoing, no-due-date assignments I was supposed to dedicate downtime to? Yeah- those got pushed to the bottom of my to-do list. Again, and again, and again. Instead of performing at an A+ level, I was averaging a B- and I was OK with settling for that. (Because its still above average, right? I wasnt failing completely.)This lackadaisical attitude worked against me for obvious reasons. Because I wasnt going the extra mile, there was little chance for a promotion. Sure, I didnt really want one, but you should always be trying to better yourself, right? Afte r all, if nothing else I couldve been improving on my soft skills- skills that are valuable in any job youll ever have. I also wasnt doing any favors for my teams processes- processes that needed a lot of improvements and that I couldve helped make better if Id made the effort. But it affected me negatively in other ways, too. It was like my subconscious forgot I had a full-time job. One that paid a decent salary and provided me with benefits and some great colleagues-turned-friends. Whenever someone would send me an email, assign me to a task, or ping me via our chat system to ask a question, I became resentful. They were bothering me and interrupting my precious time. (A.k.a.,- they were doing their job, and I was annoyed that they were expecting me to do mine. The nerve.) Not surprisingly, this behavior meant I felt like complete crap about myself. I want to be a good employee. I want to be a good teammate. And even though I wasnt really letting anyone down, I wasnt meeting the s tandards I usually hold myself to. I knew I could (and should) be better. DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU?OK, maybe its time to start looking for a new job that youll actually likeClick here to see openings now This isnt a story bashing flexible schedules. In fact, Im a huge supporter of them. This is a story about how a really good thing can end up being not so great for you if you arent careful. And that one awesome company perk can make you overlook a whole lot of negatives- in my case, the negative being that I was trading career happiness for working in my sweats. If youre lucky enough to have a laid back work situation like I did, use it the way its supposed to be used to facilitate you in achieving maximum levels of productivity and work-life balance. Not to ignore your responsibilities and indulge on bad reality TV from 2006 (thats what weekends are for). And certainly not to hide from the fact that you might need a new job if you spend most of your workdays avoiding it. Pho to of person working with dog courtesy of Caiaimage/Paul Viant/Getty Images.

The Tesla Phenomenon

The Tesla Phenomenon The Tesla Phenomenon The Tesla PhenomenonIt was an ignoble end for a self-proclaimed genius. Nikola Tesla died broke and alone (and maybe passionately in love with a pigeon) at the Hotel New Yorker in Manhattan in 1943. The prolific inventor had long been overshadowed by his rival, Thomas Edison, who had gained worldwide fame for the light bulb, the phonograph, and the motion-picture camera. Today, mora than 70 years later, there is a revival for the man responsible for alternating current and the induction motor. The name Tesla is now considered very cool. Thomas Edison may have invented movies, and Mickey Rooney played Young Tom Edison while Spencer Tracy starred as Edison, the Man, but there hasnt been a film about him since 1940. Tesla, on the other hand, is something of a pop-culture phenomenon. In the 2006 Christopher Nolan film, The Prestige, rock musician David Bowie played an eccentric version of Tesla capable of building a teleportation machine. More re cently, Jim Jarmusch (director of such films as Mystery Train and Night on Earth) and composer Phil Kline have been collaborating on a modern baroque opera, about Tesla in New York. Bernstein Artists, Inc., the New York production company developing the project, describes the opera as a more or less true series of fantasies based on the incredible life of Nikola Tesla A man has conversations with birds, invents electric ray guns, and makes a ship disappear. The reality presented will be that of dreams or memories. Or myths.Tesla in his Colorado Springs laboratory with his Magnifying Transmitter. Image Wikimedia Commons Teslas even a television star. For four seasons of the SyFy series Sanctuary, a fictional version of Tesla has appeared as a part-human, part-vampire scientist. And celebrity industrialist Elon Musk named his high-end electric car company Tesla. Would driving an Edison have the same flash appeal? Maybe we should have seen this coming thirty years ago, when a rock band from Sacramento, CA, named itself Tesla. Ten years later, New York City named the intersection of West 40th Street and Avenue of the Americas the Nikola Tesla Corner. And anyone passing through can rent room 3327 at the Hotel New Yorker where Tesla died. Theres a plaque on the wall verifying it. According to rumor, this is where Tesla, in declining physical and mental health, developed a romantic attachment to an all-white female pigeon. For those eager for more things Tesla, there is the Tesla Memorial Society of New York. Its companion website hosts a searchable database of about 4,200 pages of documents relating to Tesla published in his lifetime. It claims to include every major newspaper article on Tesla from 1886 to 1920 and provides a look at the early days of X-ray, remote control, and robotics, and also at Teslas efforts to develop wireless electricity. Iwona Rudinska, editor of The Tesla Collection, says that part of Teslas appeal and the reason that his memory is making such a comeback today is that, He is comparable to Steve Jobs in that he was a visionary who changed the world. Thats true of Edison, too. Tesla, she added, was not just an innovator, but a scientist whose mind operated within a philosophical framework that made his writings fascinating. He was a man who traveled his own road. View the current and past issues of Mechanical Engineering. For Further DiscussionHe was not just an innovator, but a scientist whose mind operated within a philosophical framework that made his writings fascinating. He was a man who traveled his own road.Iwona Rudinska, The Tesla Collection

Starting a Record Label with Very Little Money

Starting a Record Label with Very Little MoneyStarting a Record Label with Very Little MoneyThe information contained in this article is not intended as a substitute for legal advice. Your contract and circumstances may be different. Always get legal advice before entering a binding agreement. Can you abflug a record label with no money? I know those of you out there with labels are scratching your heads at the very idea, but this is a question that comes in very frequently - and maybe it is not as crazy as it seems. Lets be clear up frontYou cannot start a record label with absolutely no cash - not if you actually want to have a functioning label. But you can start a label for less than you may imagine. The trick is realistic expectations, and, most importantly, being willing to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. In other words, be ready to make up for your lack of cash by devoting extra time to the label. Lets not get ahead of ourselves, though. Lets consider first the basics expenses of starting a label and getting your first release out Business Start-Up Costs Cost of filing for business name and license. This varies depending on the laws where you live. If there are to be partners in your label, you may need a lawyers help to draw up a basic business agreement at this stage, which is an additional expense. Legal Advice for Artist Agreements Many small, indie labels write very simple contracts without consulting a lawyer, but if youre not sure where to start, a lawyer can help you draw up a standard contract. Remember, though - youre umgebung up a small label, so you want to keep it simple for yourself and your signings. Elaborate contracts are not necessary for your purposes here. Manufacturing If you want to have a physical product, youll have to pay for pressing of CDs and/or vinyl. Skipping physical product for your first releases translates into significant savings but be sure to consider your audience. Are you creating a label that will release music to people who still tend to buy CDs or that want to buy records? Going all digital just to save money isnt a good formula for success if your lack of physical product is going to spell disaster for sales. Add artwork costs in here as well. Promotion How are you going to let people know about your label and your releases? You need to target media - online, press and any relevant radio. You can do a lot of promotion in-house - believe it or not, many, many indie labels do just that. It is hard, hard work, but it saves you thousands. Of course, hiring an outside PR company for at least part of your promotion offensive not only saves time but could help you land some press you wouldnt get on your own. It is important to consider the cost versus the benefits before you decide. To help you make up your mind, check out Questions to Ask before You Hire PR. Label Identity At a minimum, youll want a label logo and a website - do you have the ability to do thi s stuff yourself, or do you need a designer and web designer to handle it for you? Of course, that list is not exhaustive, and the exact price tag for these things can vary so wildly its hard to even give a starting point. Why? Because it all comes down to decision making - and the decisions you make right here, right now will determine just how on-the-cheap your record label start-up can be. Consider these cost-managing ideas, but keep one overarching idea in mind the point is to find a compromise that legitimately saves money, not ideas that save cash in the short term but hobble your project in the long term. Here are just a few things you can do to keep costs down Release digital music onlyDo your own press in-houseWork with graphic designers/web designers who are talented but looking for experience to establish their careers - they will work for free (or very cheap) for a chance to build up their professional portfolios.Consider 50/50 deals with artists - they bring a finished master, you provide label services (apart from paying for recording costs) and you split the profits 50/50.Get several quotes for every expense before you open your wallet. Expenses to Avoid Vinyl - depending on your reserves - and most importantly, your audience - you may be able to swing a vinyl pressing. However, dont invest in cool but unnecessary things like colored vinyl. There will be plenty of time for that sort of thing down the line.Special packaging (for instance, eight-page, full-color booklets or gatefold sleeves) As you can see, when it comes to starting a record label with no money, it all comes down to careful cost management. You will need some money behind you to really get going, but dont write off your ability to do a lot of work in-house to save money. Fear not the learning curve. Sure, you will have to figure things out on the fly and do a lot of trial and error to find out what works for you. That was part of the process for even the most successful indie labels out there. Realistic expectations, musicians who are interested in growing with you and tons of hard work can all make up for your lack of substantial cash - and they could even help you build your goldmine.