Tesar-Reynes

Roland brings up a good point about sleep on his last post. I used to be terrified about not getting enough sleep. I had the perception that when I allowed myself to be overtired I couldn’t think right, I could put in real long hours and I was always getting sick. Invariably I would get into a cycle where I either couldn’t go to sleep or would awake at 1 or 2 am. I would then torque myself up to believe that I couldn’t go back to sleep……and that, of course, was self-fulfilling.

About 10 years ago I developed a new strategy. I figured out the minimum sleep I required to function at work the next day. It was 4.5 hours. I am an early riser, …

A recent article from the Huffington Post by Ph. D. Michael Gervais talks of the correlation between the high performance of Olympic athletes and sleep. I couldn’t help but think of thousands of us that hack it at a weekly 8-6+ and can never seem to get enough sleep in our lives. The four sleep strategies of elite athletes, which Mr. Gervais highlights in his article, apply to us just as much as they do a Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt.

1. Allow for pre-sleep readiness.
2. Be consistent with sleep patterns.
3. Clear your mind.
4. Account for jet-lag.

I’ll add one more to the list, which is:

5. Prepare for tomorrow at the end of today.

Rather than waking up in a panic, rushed mode in the …

During a whirlwind first few weeks at my new job, I’ve kept one adage in my mind to stay on an even-keel:

It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon.

On some days, I’ve felt like a chicken with my head cut off. So much information is stored on my company’s shared drive. We have clients in industries I’ve never heard of. Thankfully, my superiors have given me time to learn about the work. At this point, I certainly have a decent understanding and thorough appreciation for the businesses and diverse industries my clients endeavor at.

Looking back on the past month, I realize now that if I had organized my first few weeks with some objectives in mind, I might have had an easier time compartmentalizing all the information I …

In my last post, I wrote about the Net Generation’s strengths. I have a confession to make. I originally started that post writing about the Net Generation’s weaknesses.

I felt like I was being critical. So I decided to focus on the strengths of my fellow Millennials instead. Now, I feel as if I can focus on our weaknesses, which, admittedly, we have some.

1. Learn to Follow (You Don’t Know Everything)

We spend four years in college learning how to do what we love. Once we graduate and land our first internship or job, we’re anxious to put that learning into practice.

Consequently we can get a little overzealous in our business endeavors. A desire to impress your bosses is good, but arrogance can be …

I remember when I was fired for the third time in my career (not the last, either). It was in the early Fall. The season had a strange effect on me. As the leaves fell, so did my self-confidence. It was exacerbated by the fact that the wait was real long in the unemployment office and my wife was doing very well, getting local accolades.

After about three weeks of looking, I found that I walked down Michigan Avenue trying to avoid people I knew. I felt different and like some distressed merchandise. I felt like a leper. The more I felt that way the more isolated I became; the more isolated I became, the worse I interviewed.

A good friend pulled me aside and lit into me – “If …