5 Habits Successful People Follow Every Day -The Muse

5 Habits Successful People Follow Every Day -The Muse5 Habits Successful People Follow Every DayYou know those days when you leave work feeling amazing, pumped that you were highly productive? On the flipside, Im sure you have days that are just the opposite. Ones that leave you feeling frustrated, wondering whether you got anything done. What if there was a way to end every day knowing that it was successful?Unfortunately, theres no bulletproof formula to guarantee this, but there are certain practices you can follow thatll help. Here are five habits that, if practiced daily, can boost your success at work1. Keep a Gratitude JournalGratitude journals have grown wildly popular and I can understand why. Earlier this year, I started a journal and committed to writing down one thing Im grateful for every day. At 159 days in, Im still going strong. I found that expressing gratitude every morning before work gets me in the right mindset and helps me prepare for the days challenges. But do nt take my word for it. A study by UCLA found that people who regularly wrote down what they were grateful for were more optimistic and cheerful than those who didnt. Interestingly, they also had fewer doctor visits and fewer work absences. Expressing gratitude daily is a simple, quick practice that has a massive impact, and theres even an app for it in case youre not a fan of physical journaling like I am. 2. Reduce Context SwitchingContext switching is when you jump between various, unrelated tasks. Youre heads down on a project but get interrupted by an urgent message. A few minutes later, a conversation between co-workers distracts you, and, after you finally refocus, you remember an email you should have responded to earlier in the day. Does this sound like your day?While rapid context switching may seem like the norm of the modern worker, Jessica Harris from Trello explains how it comes at a high cost We spend an average of just one minute and 15 seconds on a task before being interrupted. It takes an average of 25 minutes to resume a task after being interrupted. Heavily multitasking can temporarily lower your IQ by up to 15 points.You probably cant eliminate context switching altogether, but being mindful of the productivity damage it causes will allow you to create rules to avoid distraction (more on that in a second). 3. Create If/When-Then PlansI learned about this habit from Robert Cialdinis book, Pre-Suasion A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade. Heres how it works. You plek a cue, then pick a desirable action that you can link to that cue. Here are a few if/when-then rules I follow If/when I need to work without interruption, then I leave my desk and find a drop-by room.If/when its time to eat lunch, then I order a salad. Boring, I know.If/when I get a calendar invite for Thursday (when my company has a no-meeting policy), then I move the meeting to a different day. Research suggests that people who use if/when-then planning are between t wo and three times more likely to achieve their goals. This type of planning is effective because youre proactively creating automatic responses. When situations arise that might prevent you from reaching your long-term goals, youve already decided how youll act. 4. Exercise- Even if Only for a Few MinutesYou know you should exercise- the benefits are significant. But knowing isnt the tough part- its finding time in your busy schedule to make it happen. Running, cycling, or going to the gym may be ideal, but all you really need is a few minutes. One option is the 7-Minute Workout. Its an intense workout you can do almost anywhere and is proven to deliver results. Taking a short break to go on a walk is a great way to reduce stress. A few years back I committed to going on one walk in the middle of the workday. These quick strolls elevated my heart rate, for just a few minutes, and it enabled me to go back to my work with renewed focus. So, even if you dont have time to hit the gym, exercising for only a few minutes each day is still worth it. 5. Have a Shutdown RitualEric Barker, a best-selling author who wrote an entire book on success, teaches the importance of having a shutdown ritual in which you take the time to close out the days business and prepare for tomorrow. His research found that the simple act of writing down the things you need to take care of the next day can settle your brain and help you relax. My shutdown ritual includes making a concise list (no more than three) of the most important things I need to do the next day. Since committing to this practice Ive found that I think less about work when Im out of the office. My ritual also includes cleaning my desk and shutting down my laptop, practices signaling that my work day has come to an end. It turns out that implementing this has been found to relieve anxiety and help you enjoy your evening. One final thought. While each of these five habits is intended to help you be more successful, its important to also pause and take a moment to define what success means to you. These are guidelines, and, ultimately, youve got to create your own standard of excellence and measure progress accordingly. Because real, lasting success comes by aligning your actions with whats most important to you.

An Easy Way to Bounce Back From A Setback at Work-The Muse

An Easy Way to Bounce Back From A Setback at Work-The MuseAn Easy Way to Bounce Back From A Setback at Work-The MuseEvery person will experience a setback at in their career. It might be a job interview that didnt go well, a networking introduction that never happened, or getting laid off. Whatever the specifics, bumps in the road are part of the territory- and finding a productive way to cope with your struggles is something anyone can benefit from. It turns out that something as simple the way you think about an obstacle has a lot to do with how successful youll be at getting through it. It comes down to your mindset- the ideas and attitudes with which you approach a situation. Translation Just changing how you think about a problem can help you solve it.I know it sounds too good to be true, but it isnt. Leading motivation and behavioral change researchers ranging from Stanfords Carol Dweck to Case Western Reserve Universitys Richard Boyatzis have demonstrated through compelling re search just how powerful mindsets can be. For example, in a study of pre-med students, Dweck showed that students with a limited, Im as good as Im ever going to get mindset got worse grades than those with a growth, I can get better mindset. Just by viewing their progress differently, they ended up with different outcomes.Changing your mindset works outside the classroom, too. It can help you overcome a challenging situation in just three steps. Lets take a job interview for example that you didnt getStep 1 Become Aware of Your Default OpinionBeing able to step back from your current situation and identify how youre thinking about it is at least half the battle. Whats the lens through which youre currently thinking about the issue? Do you see it as a promising opportunity or a worthless, annoying task? The story you tell yourself- what you currently believe to be true- this is your default mindset. Default Mindset For an Interview That Didnt Go Well Thats a huge setback. This kind o f opportunity will never come up again. Im elend good at this and should just give up.Step 2 Consider the Completely Opposite MindsetThis is where your imagination and creativity comes into play. If you were to think about this issue an entirely opposite way, what would that look like? Instead of a disaster, what if you saw this as an incredibly lucky break? This is not about which mindset is true. They all have elements that are true, as well as blind spots. This is also not wishful thinking. Imagining a different one is exactly that- recognizing that a different way of looking at the situation may lead to different ideas about what to do next. Let your mind bounce around a few ideas.Opposite Mindset 1 Theres a lot to learn from that interview. I bet if I focused on what I could learn and tried again, Id do better. Time to be on the lookout for the next opening. Opposite Mindset 2 Maybe I choked, not because Im a bad applicant, but because Im not really into this role, and should l ook elsewhere. Step 3 ChooseMindsets are a choice. It helps to imagine each one as a different pair of glasses that provide different perspectives on your issue. Go ahead and them them on until you find one that fits you. Notice how you feel and think when wearing it. (Use the STOP technique to tune into how it makes you feel.) Does this perspective energize you? Does it provide some new ideas? Compare these to what comes up when you consider your default. Keep imagining different perspectives until you come up with fresh ideas that help you feel unstuck. Choosing Your Mindset Im going to look at this interview as a learning experience, and not indicative of my entire career. Next time, Im going to practice with a friend beforehand so I can go in fully prepared.Remember, mindsets are never completely true or false. The question is not whether youve landed on the right one, but rather How useful is this outlook compared to the alternatives? So, pick the one thatll help you get over a career hurdle and move forward.

Carbon Nanotubes Enable Gene Transfer

Carbon Nanotubes Enable Gene Transfer Carbon Nanotubes Enable Gene Transfer Michael Schrlau was a dyed-in-the-wool mechanical engineer throughout most of his formal education, which was not surprising given his love of anything automotive. If you had asked him 15 years ago whether he would be working in the field of bioengineering, I would have looked at you cross-eyed, he says. But as he studied for his doctorate, he began to think about what kind of use there might be for the cool nanotube-based probes he enjoyed making. Fast-forward to today, and Schrlau, assistant professor of mechanical engineering in Rochester Institute of Technologys Kate Gleason College of Engineering and founding director of the universitys Nano-Bio Interface Laboratory, is working to integrate biological and artificial systems at the micro/nanoscale level in areas, such as nanomanufacturing, nanomanipulation, technology-biology interactions, and biomedical applications. Most recently in collaboration with the University of Rochester Medical Center, Schrlau and his team have developed a new, more efficient method for gene transfer using carbon nanotubes to deliver fluids into cells. One of the most difficult things to do right now is to modify cells, says Schrlau. The current techniques either have safety risks or are not efficient. Our technology is allowing a quick, simple method of delivering genetic material, proteins, and particles into cells quickly and safely. For cancer therapy, that means we can deliver cell therapy quicker before its too late for a patient. For DNA editing where biologists are coming up with solutions to cure diseases by either modifying the genetic makeup of cells and they dont have a way to do that, we provide a technology to do that. Electron microscope image of animal cells (blue) cultured on an array of carbon nanotubes. Image: University of Rochester The simple, inexpensive, and efficient process involves inserting biofluids into cells using an array of carbon nanotubes. The arrays are shaped like tiny drinking straws bundled together to spread fluids or molecules to cells over a larger area than has been possible before. In fact, the number of cells reached simultaneously can be in the tens of thousands. In one test of the new nonviral/nonchemical method, the researchers observed that 98 percent of the cells survived and 85 percent successfully received the new genetic material. This increases the ability to introduce simultaneously more test biofluids into larger and more varied populations of target cells. But there are still some challenges. One of the biggest is manufacturing the devices, says Schrlau. We need many more for end users to try them, he notes. The standard process for removing the membrane and exposing the embedded nanotubes is using reactive ion etching, but there are some throughput issues, says Schrlau. So the team is looking at ways to make a smaller device with less complicated processes and higher throughput. To commercialize the product, We need to reduce the complexity of the manufacturing process. We are trying to figure out different ways. Thats where mechanical engineering steps in, he says. A focus now is on a polishing wet-etch technique that ends up with the same result as reactive ion etching but is much simpler, quicker, cheaper, and results in higher throughput, he says. This will now produce about ten membranes in a week. Although only one is needed to transect hundreds of thousands of cells, because biologists do repetitive experiments, it wouldnt be uncommon to use a whole set of ten in a week, he says. The team is looking in the next year or two to be able to manufacture the devices consistently, repeatedly, and in large quantities for a variety of applications. We are making really good progress because of the polishing process, Schrlau says. At the same time, were getting preliminary data on the hard-to-transect cells t-cells, stem cells, neurons three broad areas where we are focusing. Good Results With this and with overcoming the production barrier, we will see an upswing in terms of doing longer term studies, more robust studies, comprehensive studies of all cell types, he says, adding that there will be a lot more variety of cell types that can be transected efficiently. Schrlaus mechanical engineering mindset There has to be a better way is what started him on this career journey. While exploring how to merge technology and biology, Schrlau was learning cell electrophysiology technology from a highly trained, experienced, expert who was beyond the post-doc level. Using a well-established technique, it took the expert months to get a couple of data points. I thought about this smart cover slip idea, he says. If I had a device or surface where I could put cells on top and be able to inject things in the cells and measure electrical signals, you could do hundreds of thousands of data points simultaneously rather than a couple every few months. Imagine the data that you would gain. I was motivated to expedite biomedical research to help understand the basic unit of life and how disease progresses at the single cell level. There just werent high-tech techniques to do that. Thats what got me into this. Nancy Giges is an independent writer. For Further Discussion Our technology is allowing a quick, simple method of delivering genetic material, proteins, and particles into cells quickly and safely.Asst. Prof. Michael Schrlau, Rochester Institute of Technology