7 ways to boost your imagination at work

7 ways to boost your imagination at work7 ways to boost your imagination at workYoure so used to performing the same tasks day in and day out. Wheres the fun? Has your mind wandered elsewhere? Theres a differenceanda connection between wandering and wondering. When you brainstorm, your mind goes on a vision quest of its own, but when you feel stuck and stagnant, your brain chews onworry, stress and distraction. So here are seven ways to expand your imagination at work.1. Chew on bite-sized goalsFocusing on the big picture too much gets scary and stressful, and then, your perfectionist self kicks into full gear. You get stuck and cranky, which doesnt make you a pleasant person with whom to work or be around. When tasks and details overwhelm, chew on bite-sized goals instead of resorting to your worrywart tendencies. Break each goal into smaller actionable goals that excite you - or at least dont make you want to bang your head against a wall.2. Stand on your headWhen you reach that p oint or feel blue in the face, stand on your head. You need to get the blood flowing back to your brain and circulating in your body. Break out those office asanas and breathing techniques. Jog around the building twice and make people laugh. Walk around for a change of scene. Release the power of endorphins, like the Kraken, and get to cracking3. Expose yourself to natureSitting in the same chair at the same desk with the same gray walls or too-bright environment gets to you after a while. Your brain likes variation, and humans belong to nature. So, expose yourself to nature in whatever dose you can find it in. One study found that backpackers were 50 percent more inspired after four days out on the trail, but you can get a boost in under 30 minutes. Unplugging restores your focus and boosts your performance and creativity levels. Remember how good it felt to sit under a big tree and read as a kid? Find your tree. Walk a nearby greenway in the mornings, evenings or during yourlunch break. Create a succulent garden on your desk or in the break room.4. Cultivate disciplined creativityOrder and chaos seem at odds with one another, but when yin and yang find a balance, so do you on your path to creativity. Structure allows innovation to seep in, according to expert and professional speaker Erik Wahl- the wildest of minds need order to get the space they require to roam free without distraction and home in more on the details they love to develop and nurture so much. He shares how, every day, Beethoven sat down from daybreak to mid-afternoon and composed. Kafkas go-to time was sitting down to write at 1130 p.m. Mozart achieved a work and creative life balance by teaching lessons in the mornings and composing during the evenings. By following similar practices you can also unleash your imagination.5. Put a timer on downtimeDowntime usually means taking a break, but being down means focusing on the things that keep you down for far too long. Lift yourself back up to brainstorming territory - its beautiful up there Take downtime breaks to reset your focus, and if you find yourself distracted by other matters, put pen to paper, and let it all out. When you write something down, you process your emotions and thoughts better and are more likely to focus on your goals. Set a time limit for how long you can worry - put it on paper, and let it go. Who knows? Your pen may wander on to creative solutions in its meandering.6. Envision rather than assumeYou know what happens when you assume - dont do that to yourself, your team or your clients. When you get caught up in a downward spiral of negative thinking, return to the original vision, and take the art of visualization further. Use it in a way that works for you. Perhaps that means creating a vision board ofmotivationor envisioning the positive payoff when you succeed. You might walk yourself through the worst-case scenario and reassure yourself that you have the support you need. Think of visuali zation as a walking mental meditation, and let it assist you in your brainstorming process. Dont assume. Envision.7. Dokaraokeunder your breath while brainstormingFor ages, music has served humanity as a source of expression andinspiration. Most people have a playlist for when they work out, so why not make a playlist for work? Certain types of music make you feel specific ways. Match songs to a client project, and sing under your breath as you brainstorm. Many students use softer melodies to get started and faster-paced music to match their inspiration, impact and execution levels. Whats a good song if you dont sing along? But you dont want to make every dog within a mile of you howl, so do karaoke under your breath while you work through ideas.Use these seven tips to expand your imagination at work and achieve success, probably while making your coworkers laugh a bit. Thats what amazing work culture does though - generating innovation and imagination with good humor, positivity a nd dedication.A version of this post previously appeared onFairygodboss, the largest career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits, and work flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards, and career advice.

ASME and City Tech Students Team Up for the Google Geek Street...

ASME and City Tech Students Team Up for the Google Geek Street... ASME and City Tech Students Team Up for the Google Geek Street... ASME and City Tech Students Team Up for the Google Geek Street Fair in New YorkOct. 21, 2016 City Tech student Julio Mejia demonstrates the Candy Crane, one of the devices the school exhibited at the New York City Geek Street Fair, which was hosted by Google on Oct. 13. For the second year, a team of engineering students from New York City College of Technology (City Tech) in Brooklyn, N.Y., and their advisor represented ASME at the annual New York City Geek Street Fair. The event, which took place Oct. 13, featured science exhibits from mora than 20 universities, museums, nonprofit organizations and technology companies from the New York area.The event drew more than 5,000 students, teachers and tourists - approximately 10 times the number of people who attended last year. A spokesperson for Google attributed the spike in foot traffic to its m ore prominent location this year in Union Square. The fair had been held in Gansevoort Plaza in midtown Manhattan the previous two years. A student vising the ASME/City Tech booth at the Geek Street Fair tries out one of City Techs exhibits - a basketball hoop that generated electricity using gravity.The six engineering students from City Tech, along with their professor Andy S. Zhang, demonstrated a few of the devices they designed and built in the schools Mechatronics Technology Center. These devices included a robot called MoDAR (Mobility Detection and Auto Recognition) that could scan and recognize the faces of visitors to the booth, a basketball hoop that generated electricity using gravity, and an electro-mechanical crane that children could use to pick up bags of candy.One of the City Tech students manning the ASME booth, Julio Mejia, was particularly impressed by the excitement and enthusiasm for science and technology expressed by the young people who stopped at his teams exhibit throughout the day. Mejia, a 38-year-old former U.S. Marine who is currently president of the schools mechatronics club and a mechanical engineering student in his senior year at City Tech, brought a unique perspective to the event. A young visitor to the booth checks out MoDAR (Mobility Detection and Auto Recognition), a robot that scans and recognizes faces. I like seeing the kids faces when they see all the new technologies that we have out here, Mejia said of the devices on display at the fair. When I was young, I didnt have the opportunity to see any of this. This is a big step for me because Ive never seen half the stuff thats here, but Im picking it up now. Things are so different now. My nieces just finished juniorchefin high school and they had robotics clubs available to them. But we didnt have these types of opportunities that the kids have now.Joining Mejia at the ASME booth were his fellow City Tech students Luca Scarano, Devon Paul, Zahra E lfatimi, Ehab Amed, and Tristen Canchig. Professor Andy S. Zhang of City Tech makes adjustments to the electro-mechanical Candy Crane, which was on display at the ASME/City Tech booth.Dr. Zhang, an ASME member and advisor to the City Tech mechatronics club, said events like the Google Geek Street Fair are important not only for younger students who are visiting the events, but also beneficial for the university students who participate. Its very important to get young people to get to know science and technology early on, especially in grade school and middle school, Zhang said. When theyre in high school, its too late. Therefore, we support this kind of activity. Its also a good opportunity for our students to get involved and sharpen their hands-on skills. If you never make a mistake, youre never going to learn anything. Your first design doesnt always work. Thats why its important to get hands-on experience. If you make your mistakes while youre in school, then you w ont make a big mistake at your company.In plus-rechnen to the ASME/City Tech booth, the event featured displays from more than 20 organizations and companies. These exhibitors included the fairs sponsor, Google, as well as Facebook, Pinterest, Samsung, the American Museum of Natural History, Black Girls Code, New York Universitys Tisch and Tandon Schools, Cooper Union, the Museum of Math, NYC FIRST, the Bronx Academy for Software Engineering, and Pioneer Works.

The only thing that is constant is change

The only thing that is constant is changeThe only thing that is constant is changePosted by Howard K. Young, The 405 ClubPreviouslyThe four questions