he could be himself - the Fortress of Solitude. So when every nook and cranny with a WiFi connection, outlet, and coffee becomes your staging ground for organizational feats of wonder, you need to have a few tricks up your sleeve. Here are five of my favorite tips to combat potential isolation and to keep your juices going.1. Make a Call List
When the water cooler is a water fountain next to the bathroom and your colleagues are boisterous members of a book club, you need to reach out and touch someone. Not literally of course. I'm talking about making a phone call. Before you leave for your mobile office write down a list of three people you will call during the day:
Giver: The person you will call to offer a random act of sharing or kindness.
Reacher: The person you haven't spoken to in awhile or maybe never at all. This is a networking call.
Learner: The person you will call with a question or someone you would like to learn something from.
2. Research 3 in 15
Superman might be faster than a speeding bullet but with the Internet as the wind in your sails you can let your fingers do the walking. For fifteen minutes and no more find three new oceans of uncharted information. I have lots of luck at Scribd and Insightory.
3. Write a 140 Goal
I always thought the Dunbar number of 150 would rule the day but with Twitter, the number 140 is here to stay. When you feel you may be going astray, stop, reflect, and refocus yourself by writing a goal in 140 characters. This will help you sort through the shifting landscape of priorities and items competing for your attention.
4. Perform Distraction Audits
Every so often, scan your environment. On a scale of 1-5 where 1= "You are Very Focused" and 5= "You Are Hopelessly Distracted" determine your rating. Then identify any of the things that might be distracting you. Have you tried not looking at the assortment of electronic messages inundating you? Have you cleared unnecessary papers, files, books, or anything else in your physical space?
On the flip side if you've been focused it might be a good idea to introduce a distraction or two to give your mind a breath of fresh air. Never hard to come up with distractions so I'll leave that one up to you! :)
5. Listen to Music
Listen up...it's not what you like it's what helps your brain work. Music charges up your emotions. Don't get me wrong; listen to what floats your boat. However, when you need to get your mind working, binaural music is the way to go. Based on brainwave research it's been demonstrated that music with specific beats per second can improve concentration and promote creativity.
Well what are you waiting for? You probably have more to do than Superman and now your Fortress of Solitude is well equipped with five tips to save the world and excel as a mobile warrior.
Photo by: hoodrat
Terrence Gargiulo is President of MAKINGSTORIES.net. (terrence@makingstories.net, http://twitter.com/makingstories ).
