Today marks the six month anniversary of Red Bit Blue Bit. That’s right, I’ve been in business for about 180 days. I wrote my thoughts on the first 30 days; now it is time for a follow up. Without further ado, here are my thoughts on business:
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My kids have been bugging me to help them register to win 5 Firefly cell phones through the Fruit Gushers Phone-a-Day Giveaway.
The State of Wisconsin has announced the cancellation of yet another IT project. This project, according to the Wisconsin Technology Network was a $42 million project. Fortunately (I guess), they halted the project after wasting only $23.6 million on the project. This is on the heels of a failed project by the UW system that cost Wisconsin taxpayers $26 million over 5 years.
I have written before about power naps before — short naps in the middle of the day that refresh and renew.
Now it seems that researchers have discovered that afternoon siestas have health benefits as well. A recent study (registration required) discovered that Greek men who took a regular afternoon naps were 37% less likely to die of heart disease than those who did not.
While the researchers admit that a single study does not make this conclusive, there are many physicians who see the benefit of a mid-day rest.
Specialists not involved with the study said there are sound biochemical reasons to believe that a nap may help protect against heart disease.
Essentially, they said, sleep at any time of day acts like a valve to release the stress of everyday life. Blood pressure is reduced and heart rates slow. At the same time, the immune system shores itself up. Increasingly, researchers are recognizing the role the immune system plays in heart disease.
As I’ve mentioned before, my dad takes an afternoon siesta every day right after lunch. He is the youngest 74-year-old I know. While I am sure this is only one part of his story of success, I can see how some rest during the day can be beneficial.
In my own experience, a 20 minute power nap has greatly benefited me on days I’m feeling drowsy. If I had the ability to integrate this into a regular daily pattern I would, but most client sites won’t put in a nap room just for my benefit.
My first Groundhog Day Resolution is, as it is every year, to be fit. I always want to be in better shape than I was the previous year. This usually stems from how exhausted I feel after our year-end ski trip and I vow each New Year’s that I will not be so tired out by a sport that lets gravity do most of the work for me.
Instead of writing a blog post this morning, I decided to upgrade my blog to WordPress 2.1. It is supposed to have all these fancy new features, but I haven’t noticed them yet. Maybe that’s a good thing.
The point is, let me know if you notice any funkiness or improvements.
One of the biggest challenges to any resolution or goal is the inability to make sweeping changes. Humans are creatures of habit, and breaking habits is hard. For example, going from a high-calorie, high-fat diet to celery on a whim is just too huge of a change to be sustainable. The first slice of French Silk Pie to come along is going to be trouble. Instead, the better method to sustainable change is through small, incremental moves in the right direction. I’m calling these moves tiny discipline.
Groundhog Day is one month and one day past the beginning of the year. The craziness of the holidays and the bloat of overeating have subsided. The crappy gifts have been returned and all that stuff you couldn’t get done before the holidays are now squared away. Its time for Groundhog Day Resolutions!