Are You Feeling Lost?

Have you ever walked into a room and realized you don’t know why you’re there? Then you walked back out to retrace your steps and recover your memory from ten seconds ago. It happens sometimes.

It can happen anywhere. You can be at the store and not remember what brought you to that aisle.

You can be at work, distracted by a message, and find yourself sitting at your desk, fingers hovering over your keyboard while you try to recall what you were supposed to be working on.

Maybe it’s time for a break. Happy Friday. Happy weekend. Happy whatever occasion you want to celebrate.

Image credit: source unknown.

What Was the Last Thing You Searched for Online?

Imagine being arrested for an innocent online search. Sometimes, I wonder if that’s what will happen to me. I often find myself searching for some really oddball stuff. It makes me the target of advertising for products I will never buy. It also makes me want to constantly delete my browser search history in case I go missing and my friends and family look there for clues, only to begin questioning my life choices. Yes, this is the life of a writer and editor.

I found this question, “What was the last thing you searched for online?” as one of the daily writing prompts, and I was compelled to answer it. Here’s why.

  • A coworker was searching for eye protection, such as safety glasses, when her keywords (eye protection? eye glasses? something to do with eyes?) landed her on a porn site and her computer was stuck there until the tech people reset her computer.
  • I was editing a book about atrocities committed during a political regime when I became curious about the correct terminology to use and began to Google search different types of guns and bullets. Then I wondered what my search history implied when seen out of context.
  • I have scanned through webpages for products to do research for clients. Then I realized how interconnected my world was when I started to see ads for these products on my social media. All my social media.
  • I’ve noticed I do frequent searches for popular boy names and girl names. It probably looks like I’m thinking of naming a baby I’ll have one of these days. I guess you could say I have a lot of “children.” They are all names chosen for story characters and characters for client scenarios.

My conclusion: My search history is for many unrelated and unusual topics, such as how to fix issues for products I don’t own or how to dye blond hair I don’t have. Indeed, being an editor and writer has made me curious about a multitude of unusual things.

What’s the last thing you searched for online?

Humor and Horror: Workplace Typos We Wish We Could Take Back

If you communicate with other humans by typing messages, you’ve probably experienced this horrifying moment. For me, it was swearing at my dad when my fat fingers switched two letters on my phone and instead of typing “ok,” I typed a swear word. Also when I emailed my favorite author and said, “I’m a writer too!” and signed the email with “Thanks you.” When these mistakes happen at work, it can be worse (or just as bad). And we’re not alone.

Here is a collection of typos that I found circulating on the internet. They appear in different types of media, from internet searches to videos to websites. For this reason, I am unable to track down or credit the original owner. If you are the owner or know the owner, let me know! I could relate to these typos, and I hope that you will too.

Imagine having a terrible workday when your computer asks if you want to exist. In a world where AI is everywhere, I can’t help but wonder if some artificial being wants to take over my job. Or my life.

For those who design programs, this message reminds them of the importance of doing a final QA to check for typos before releasing a program to the public.

This warm message is both heartwarming and memorable for teachers. The students are showing appreciation for what their teacher taught them, such as spelling and vocabulary. It is also a reminder that sometimes, students are eager to apply what they’ve learned, but they still have more to learn.

These labels are all spelled differently. As an editor, I can relate to this. I’ve been aghast to find the chapters in books are not the same, such as using a different format from one chapter to the next. Sometimes, you just don’t realize there’s a problem until you compare everything side by side.

If you’ve ever ordered several copies of something, such as a company brochure or a business card, and only noticed the typo after several copies were made, you will appreciate this sale-priced item.

Sometimes, a typo can show a lot of resilience and pass through several sets of eyes and stages of approval. Sometimes, you just need to appreciate their tenacity.

This isn’t quite a typo but I wanted to share this one. Something got lost in translation but this translation sure is sweet. I would love to experience what tiny grass dreaming is like. It sounds fun. It is better than the original language, which says that tiny grass is resting… do not disturb. Sweet dreams!

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Motivation Through Words

(Repost)

Words are food. Words are fuel. Words are dreams come to life.

Words keep us going. They motivate us.

When you’re feeling down, or you’ve hit writer’s block, follow the advice of your favorite writer.

When you’re concerned you can’t make a deadline for a writing project, break your main goal into small, little goals. Just write for five minutes, or finish a paragraph. Tiny steps get you through the day.

When you’re hungry for ideas, look around you for inspiration. Read a book. Watch a movie. Talk to people. Watch a plant grow.

And when you finish writing your book, your blog post, or your report…applaud yourself. Writing doesn’t have to be perfect the first time.

Just write.

5 Reasons to Hate Remote Work

If you’ve been following these blog posts, you know I’m a strong advocate of remote work, but it’s not a perfect lifestyle. Like any work situation, there are days when remote work is irritating or totally stressful. So for the moment, at least, let’s look at five reasons to hate remote work.

1 Getting locked out of the office

The number one reason to hate remote work is a complete percent reliance on the internet. When your internet is down, it’s like getting locked out of the office and being left in the hallway with nothing to do, especially if your work files are saved on a cloud. You can’t ask the IT person to fix your tech issues – if you work from home, you are the tech person. Tech issues can also make meetings miserable. Your screen can freeze if the internet is slow and you miss out on what someone has just said. Your mic can stop working and you’re speed-typing your thoughts in the group chat. Bad tech = a crappy work day.

2  Communication issues and isolation

Remote work is like being locked in a room by yourself. You can’t just wander over to your coworker’s desk for a quick chat. You need to schedule or request a meeting, or message your coworker. In addition, direct messaging creates modern-day office paranoia. Say you just sent a message but your coworker doesn’t reply right away. Are they ignoring you? If hours pass, are they out-of-office or still ignoring you? 

A whole social aspect of working in an office is missing, such as a festival or special food day. It’s a treat to report to the company cafeteria to celebrate (insert occasion) with (insert special food). If you work from home and want a special lunch, you need to make it yourself (which isn’t as special).

3 Office furniture and office

You live where you work, especially if you work in your kitchen. You get the furniture yourself, and pay for it or expense it, but it’s done on your own time, unlike at an office, where you ask and a desk or chair is delivered free to you. It’s the same with stationery. You can’t just raid the supply cupboard. You build up the supply yourself. If the room is too hot or too cold, you’ve got to fix it yourself.

4 Dealing with misconceptions

Remote work and work from home allows you more flexibility in your schedule, which is a great benefit. However, people who don’t work from home have misconceptions. Relatives assume that since I’m “home,” it’s okay to interrupt me to have a social conversation or ask if I can run an errand. At a party, a stranger assumed that since I worked from home and I could “work whenever I wanted,” I worked the bare minimum hours. He said that when I realized I had bills to pay, I would start working more hours like regular people. 

5 Legal and long-lasting implications

When you work remotely, you communicate with coworkers online through emails or texts. You can’t walk over to your coworker or pick up the phone to chat. In these work set-ups, you join a huddle or have a virtual chat for longer conversations. You send texts for shorter conversations, meaning your communication has a record. You must carefully word your message in case the wrong tone is inferred. Emojis help to show you’re joking or add politeness to a request. But if you’re angry, you need to take a moment and think about what you’ll say because after you calm down, you can’t take your words back.

Key Takeaways

Remote work is not for everyone. People who love to socialize may find remote work very isolating. Similarly, people who love collaboration or need a mentor may dislike remote work. Technology can also create frustrations, and some think remote workers don’t work as hard. On the upside, if you enjoy remote work, then you know that these frustrations can be overcome.

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