Runaway mind
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Hi , I would like to discuss something that has become painfully apparent to me recently, I don't know if any of you experienced the same problem. Sometimes while sitting in the huge spec meeting , usually when two managers discuss something arb like the submit button color and your thoughts drifts off and goes designing the software architecture and maybe some cool features while you might be missing some key information. Any tips tricks one can use to stay on the ball and keep your mind on the game before your hear the chairman point a question at you having the only words your heard "So what are your thoughts on the matter ? ". Also some funny moments from personal experience would also be interesting to hear. I was in high-school when i was in a physics lecture when the teacher saw me dozing off and called me out to solve some problems on the board , lucky for me I was far head in my studies so was able to take it from there but lesson learned that if it was chemistry I would have been royally screwed.
Chona1171 Web Developer (C#), Silverlight
I'd improvise ... something like this ... "Superficially, it seems what we are considering would lend itself to one choice, or a few "best choice" candidates, from the choices presented and discussed today. But, actually: aren't we really raising a more fundamental issue related to the consistency of product interface design, based on the functionality we intend to offer the end-user, and the ways that end-users of products like ours have come to expect the interface to appear and behave, as it implements certain functionalities ? Yet, our intention is to innovate: is it not ? To produce something unique in look-and-feel, and yet even more usable for the end-user, to open vistas of functionality they've never seen, and yet make their presence subtly known ... rather than giving the end-user a "pie-in-the-face" jolt as they realize their new powers ? Should we step back from this microscopic analysis, and consider this specific question as one rung, on a ladder, leading-up to a higher-perspective of our product goals, and usability ?" I'd memorize this, and keep it handy as a "template," and be ready to change it, warp it, re-cast it, every time I said it. And of course you are capable of that, because: You are a Programmer ! best, Bill
"If you shoot at mimes, should you use a silencer ?" Stephen Wright
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Hi , I would like to discuss something that has become painfully apparent to me recently, I don't know if any of you experienced the same problem. Sometimes while sitting in the huge spec meeting , usually when two managers discuss something arb like the submit button color and your thoughts drifts off and goes designing the software architecture and maybe some cool features while you might be missing some key information. Any tips tricks one can use to stay on the ball and keep your mind on the game before your hear the chairman point a question at you having the only words your heard "So what are your thoughts on the matter ? ". Also some funny moments from personal experience would also be interesting to hear. I was in high-school when i was in a physics lecture when the teacher saw me dozing off and called me out to solve some problems on the board , lucky for me I was far head in my studies so was able to take it from there but lesson learned that if it was chemistry I would have been royally screwed.
Chona1171 Web Developer (C#), Silverlight
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Hi , I would like to discuss something that has become painfully apparent to me recently, I don't know if any of you experienced the same problem. Sometimes while sitting in the huge spec meeting , usually when two managers discuss something arb like the submit button color and your thoughts drifts off and goes designing the software architecture and maybe some cool features while you might be missing some key information. Any tips tricks one can use to stay on the ball and keep your mind on the game before your hear the chairman point a question at you having the only words your heard "So what are your thoughts on the matter ? ". Also some funny moments from personal experience would also be interesting to hear. I was in high-school when i was in a physics lecture when the teacher saw me dozing off and called me out to solve some problems on the board , lucky for me I was far head in my studies so was able to take it from there but lesson learned that if it was chemistry I would have been royally screwed.
Chona1171 Web Developer (C#), Silverlight
Mind-meandering in meetings -- especially the interminable sort where the most interesting events are the jams in the slide projector -- is so commonplace that it's treated with a sort of affectionate amusement in most shops. There's a sense that the typical meeting is over-attended, and that whoever called it usually takes himself and his subject matter far too seriously.
The great Robert C. Townsend, who hated meetings as much as anyone on Earth, suggested that all meetings should be limited to 30 minutes at most, and should be held standing up. I haven't yet persuaded my shop to adopt that rule, but then, we no longer have quite as many meetings as we once did, and I manage to avoid most of them.
(This message is programming you in ways you cannot detect. Be afraid.)
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Nueman wrote:
"You're not listening to me."
My ex used to use this on me all the time. Every single time that she did, I repeated back to her word-for-word exactly what she had said. There is a good reason she is the ex wife.
Why is common sense not common? Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level where they are an expert. Sometimes it takes a lot of work to be lazy Please stand in front of my pistol, smile and wait for the flash - JSOP 2012
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Hi , I would like to discuss something that has become painfully apparent to me recently, I don't know if any of you experienced the same problem. Sometimes while sitting in the huge spec meeting , usually when two managers discuss something arb like the submit button color and your thoughts drifts off and goes designing the software architecture and maybe some cool features while you might be missing some key information. Any tips tricks one can use to stay on the ball and keep your mind on the game before your hear the chairman point a question at you having the only words your heard "So what are your thoughts on the matter ? ". Also some funny moments from personal experience would also be interesting to hear. I was in high-school when i was in a physics lecture when the teacher saw me dozing off and called me out to solve some problems on the board , lucky for me I was far head in my studies so was able to take it from there but lesson learned that if it was chemistry I would have been royally screwed.
Chona1171 Web Developer (C#), Silverlight
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Hi , I would like to discuss something that has become painfully apparent to me recently, I don't know if any of you experienced the same problem. Sometimes while sitting in the huge spec meeting , usually when two managers discuss something arb like the submit button color and your thoughts drifts off and goes designing the software architecture and maybe some cool features while you might be missing some key information. Any tips tricks one can use to stay on the ball and keep your mind on the game before your hear the chairman point a question at you having the only words your heard "So what are your thoughts on the matter ? ". Also some funny moments from personal experience would also be interesting to hear. I was in high-school when i was in a physics lecture when the teacher saw me dozing off and called me out to solve some problems on the board , lucky for me I was far head in my studies so was able to take it from there but lesson learned that if it was chemistry I would have been royally screwed.
Chona1171 Web Developer (C#), Silverlight
Three things: 1. Make up your mind about the subject in discussion. You may be asked about your opinion and then you will have one to share :-D 2. Have a notepad and a pencil ready and write up ideas about the project or whatever comes to mind. You may prefer to draw and that's ok, just be respectful and do not draw things that you may be ashamed of later. 3. Keep paying attention. Smile!!
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Hi , I would like to discuss something that has become painfully apparent to me recently, I don't know if any of you experienced the same problem. Sometimes while sitting in the huge spec meeting , usually when two managers discuss something arb like the submit button color and your thoughts drifts off and goes designing the software architecture and maybe some cool features while you might be missing some key information. Any tips tricks one can use to stay on the ball and keep your mind on the game before your hear the chairman point a question at you having the only words your heard "So what are your thoughts on the matter ? ". Also some funny moments from personal experience would also be interesting to hear. I was in high-school when i was in a physics lecture when the teacher saw me dozing off and called me out to solve some problems on the board , lucky for me I was far head in my studies so was able to take it from there but lesson learned that if it was chemistry I would have been royally screwed.
Chona1171 Web Developer (C#), Silverlight
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Hi , I would like to discuss something that has become painfully apparent to me recently, I don't know if any of you experienced the same problem. Sometimes while sitting in the huge spec meeting , usually when two managers discuss something arb like the submit button color and your thoughts drifts off and goes designing the software architecture and maybe some cool features while you might be missing some key information. Any tips tricks one can use to stay on the ball and keep your mind on the game before your hear the chairman point a question at you having the only words your heard "So what are your thoughts on the matter ? ". Also some funny moments from personal experience would also be interesting to hear. I was in high-school when i was in a physics lecture when the teacher saw me dozing off and called me out to solve some problems on the board , lucky for me I was far head in my studies so was able to take it from there but lesson learned that if it was chemistry I would have been royally screwed.
Chona1171 Web Developer (C#), Silverlight
I have a tendency to close my eyes and listen. Many times I've been told I tend to shock people when my eyes pop open and I start contributing to the conversation after they thought I had drifted off. I try to explain to them that I don't need to see to hear. I eliminate the visual distractions and concentrate on what is being said.
Psychosis at 10 Film at 11 Those who do not remember the past, are doomed to repeat it. Those who do not remember the past, cannot build upon it.
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AspDotNetDev wrote:
audio recorder
You would use one of the digital recorders that you conceal in the palm of your hand. The real trick is to have the recording playback with her words in your voice....
Why is common sense not common? Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level where they are an expert. Sometimes it takes a lot of work to be lazy Please stand in front of my pistol, smile and wait for the flash - JSOP 2012
I'm pretty sure there is an app for that... :laugh:
CEO at: - Rafaga Systems - Para Facturas - Modern Components for the moment...
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Hi , I would like to discuss something that has become painfully apparent to me recently, I don't know if any of you experienced the same problem. Sometimes while sitting in the huge spec meeting , usually when two managers discuss something arb like the submit button color and your thoughts drifts off and goes designing the software architecture and maybe some cool features while you might be missing some key information. Any tips tricks one can use to stay on the ball and keep your mind on the game before your hear the chairman point a question at you having the only words your heard "So what are your thoughts on the matter ? ". Also some funny moments from personal experience would also be interesting to hear. I was in high-school when i was in a physics lecture when the teacher saw me dozing off and called me out to solve some problems on the board , lucky for me I was far head in my studies so was able to take it from there but lesson learned that if it was chemistry I would have been royally screwed.
Chona1171 Web Developer (C#), Silverlight
I've found caffeine gum to be useful in class. Also, writing stuff down keeps me mentally interactive. The problem with that is the situation where I start drawing. If I start drawing stuff, it's all over.
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Do the obvious: get involved in the discussion, say something constructive yet something following the managers' path of thoughts. Sounds stupid, but: 1. the discussion will be over in shorter time 2. you will learn what is important to them and you will better predict the possibility for this kind of discussion for next meeting for example: if the are discussing colors on ten meetings in row, make separate meeting, show them some nice color palettes and convince them that sticking to one choosen palette is a good thing. If you will manage to manipulate them to think that was their idea, you will have no color discussion anymore. ;)
Jarek Kruza wrote:
If you will manage to manipulate them to think that was their idea...
I'm pretty sure i have heard this before.
CEO at: - Rafaga Systems - Para Facturas - Modern Components for the moment...
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I have a tendency to close my eyes and listen. Many times I've been told I tend to shock people when my eyes pop open and I start contributing to the conversation after they thought I had drifted off. I try to explain to them that I don't need to see to hear. I eliminate the visual distractions and concentrate on what is being said.
Psychosis at 10 Film at 11 Those who do not remember the past, are doomed to repeat it. Those who do not remember the past, cannot build upon it.
BrainiacV wrote:
I have a tendency to close my eyes and listen.
The last time i tried this i fell sleep... :-D
CEO at: - Rafaga Systems - Para Facturas - Modern Components for the moment...
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Hi , I would like to discuss something that has become painfully apparent to me recently, I don't know if any of you experienced the same problem. Sometimes while sitting in the huge spec meeting , usually when two managers discuss something arb like the submit button color and your thoughts drifts off and goes designing the software architecture and maybe some cool features while you might be missing some key information. Any tips tricks one can use to stay on the ball and keep your mind on the game before your hear the chairman point a question at you having the only words your heard "So what are your thoughts on the matter ? ". Also some funny moments from personal experience would also be interesting to hear. I was in high-school when i was in a physics lecture when the teacher saw me dozing off and called me out to solve some problems on the board , lucky for me I was far head in my studies so was able to take it from there but lesson learned that if it was chemistry I would have been royally screwed.
Chona1171 Web Developer (C#), Silverlight
I come to this forum looking for answers to interesting questions that pop up in the news letter from time to time. And everytime I'm disappointed. This guy asks a good question and all you respond with is idiotic pre-pubescent nonsense. These forums are for retards as far as I'm concerned. I've never read more than a handful of comments that were helpful at all to the original posts on questions like this. Congrats guys.
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Hi , I would like to discuss something that has become painfully apparent to me recently, I don't know if any of you experienced the same problem. Sometimes while sitting in the huge spec meeting , usually when two managers discuss something arb like the submit button color and your thoughts drifts off and goes designing the software architecture and maybe some cool features while you might be missing some key information. Any tips tricks one can use to stay on the ball and keep your mind on the game before your hear the chairman point a question at you having the only words your heard "So what are your thoughts on the matter ? ". Also some funny moments from personal experience would also be interesting to hear. I was in high-school when i was in a physics lecture when the teacher saw me dozing off and called me out to solve some problems on the board , lucky for me I was far head in my studies so was able to take it from there but lesson learned that if it was chemistry I would have been royally screwed.
Chona1171 Web Developer (C#), Silverlight
The problem is not you. The problem is that the meeting you are attending is going off the rails. If you are working at a dead-end job in a completely brain-dead company and have no other employment options, learn the habit of falling asleep with your eyes open. You won't miss that much, so it's ok. But, if there is anything in the job or company that you want to salvage, consider confronting the problem. Say, "Wow, we're burning a lot of man hours talking about button colors. Could we please get back on topic, and maybe go off-line to pick button colors?" Every meeting participant has the right to expect their time to be well-spent, and every manager values good use of labor hours; they're programmed to do so. If you're holding the meeting, you can help focus the meeting by producing an agenda in advance and mailing it to all participants. Then you can say, "Wow, that sounds like a topic for another meeting. This meeting is about X. Could we please get back on topic?" You may be able to enlist the help of your manager to make the change. Let them know that the meetings are so unproductive you have trouble staying focused. Tell them you would get more lines of code written if you spent less time in meetings. Be ready to talk about ways that meetings could be run better (agend up front, stay on topic, summarize action plans, you can find this list anywhere). A warning; confronting the problem doesn't work with every manager. If your manager seems to prefer wasting time, it might be time to get your resume spiffed up. But the upside potential is huge. I've witnessed as an employee several companies "fix" their dysfunctional meeting habits. It was directed top-down in one company. I pushed the change in another. You can do it.
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I come to this forum looking for answers to interesting questions that pop up in the news letter from time to time. And everytime I'm disappointed. This guy asks a good question and all you respond with is idiotic pre-pubescent nonsense. These forums are for retards as far as I'm concerned. I've never read more than a handful of comments that were helpful at all to the original posts on questions like this. Congrats guys.
I think most people come to the forum to take a break from there day and get their minds off the problem they are trying to solve. It isn't meant to be serious all the time. Also there are a lot of good recommendations in this post. Like everything else in life you need to sift through them to find what you are looking for.
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Hi , I would like to discuss something that has become painfully apparent to me recently, I don't know if any of you experienced the same problem. Sometimes while sitting in the huge spec meeting , usually when two managers discuss something arb like the submit button color and your thoughts drifts off and goes designing the software architecture and maybe some cool features while you might be missing some key information. Any tips tricks one can use to stay on the ball and keep your mind on the game before your hear the chairman point a question at you having the only words your heard "So what are your thoughts on the matter ? ". Also some funny moments from personal experience would also be interesting to hear. I was in high-school when i was in a physics lecture when the teacher saw me dozing off and called me out to solve some problems on the board , lucky for me I was far head in my studies so was able to take it from there but lesson learned that if it was chemistry I would have been royally screwed.
Chona1171 Web Developer (C#), Silverlight