Step Out. Step Up.
A few years ago, after two weeks of trekking in Patagonia and staying in refugios and tents, three of us took an overnight bus ride across Chile to Argentina. We were grubby - not quite presentable for the fashion-forward Buenos Aires crowd. We checked into the finest luxury hotel in the city. (Thanks to our friend Dee [...]
I received an email from Brendan McGovern, CFO of Meetup, and here’s what was below his name:
**SABBATICAL NOTICE**
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From Feb 4 - May 16, I will be out of the office enjoying Meetup’s sabbatical program. I will be traveling around the world, and per Meetup sabbatical policy, will not be checking email & not working. Sound nice? [...]
There’s no doubt that the nonprofit sector values the sabbatical experience for its leaders. Nonprofits also prove to be willing to reach into their pocketbooks to make sabbaticals happen.
The goal of the Alaska-based Rasmuson Foundation Sabbatical Program is to retain top-quality leaders in nonprofits by providing three- to six-month opportunities for rest, reflection and [...]
In our small world of work with companies that offer sabbaticals to their employees, Meetup reins as one of the most generous and forward-thinking. The “world’s largest network of local groups” has just rolled out a program - yes, even in “this” economy - offering its employees a paid, three-month, unrestricted sabbatical after every seven [...]
Thomas Metzinger, a philosopher, argues that the Internet isn’t changing the way we think, but it is attacking our finite commodity of “attention.” Feeling strongly about our “attention management,” the philosopher worries. “Attention is a finite commodity and absolutely essential to living a good life,” he laments.
Given that, you and I won’t be living our [...]
Is the concept of boredom funny only because it seems nearly impossible to be bored these days?
Boring 2010, held in London in December, drew 200 people for 20 interminable hours. Presentations included “My Relationship With Bus Routes,” “The Intangible Beauty of Car Park Roofs,” one individual’s three year and running sneeze count, and “Personal Reflections [...]
This past weekend, at a “first Sunday in 2011 Brunch,” very smart people held tightly to their champagne as they painted scenes from their lives that wouldn’t make inspiring screen savers.
The question posed - “How has connectivity negatively impacted your personal and professional life?” – revealed an underbelly of distinct ways our relationships and professional success may be [...]
Almost 2,000 entries were received for the IKEA sabbatical contest, and five finalists have been chosen. Now through January 17th, you can cast your vote for the winner, who will receive a year-long sabbatical worth $100,000 and a 3-day/2-night trip to a spa resort in Phoenix, Ariz., to participate in a one-hour life coaching session [...]
Stephen Sondheim, the “the master lyricist of our generation” 80 years old and would forgo love to write lyrics.
How does a genius think? How does he approach work? As a prolific, high-achieving performer, does he ever want to stop working? Does he have a life? All the answers are in Sondheim’s new book (the first of [...]