On Participants' Allowances at the National Conference...

Comments have been flying about participants’ allowances at the ongoing National Conference. Here’s what I think, too:

Faced with such excessive remuneration for public service, I posit one is morally obliged to do one of two things: reject it (like Tunde Bakare did), or channel it into public development (like Yadomah Mandara has pledged to do).

Accepting it unconditionally, or unashamedly demanding more for aides and special assistants, is indicative of greed – simple.

Koye.

How I Overcame My Addiction to Email

A few weeks ago I confronted a blunt truth. I was addicted. To email.

While working, every few minutes I would randomly click the Outlook Icon and check my inbox for unread mail. In the event that I saw the blue typeface signifying unread email, I just had to click on it. I couldn't help it. I would get the feeling that something was dancing in my brain if I closed Outlook without reading it.

Of course - this significantly impacted my productivity - negatively. I would regularly quit priority tasks to attend to activities that were urgent, but not important.

I tried everything. I removed Outlook from my task-bar. I would shut-down the program when I needed to focus on tasks. I would disconnect my computer from the internet, only to reconnect when I needed to get some information online / via Communicator...only to click on the new 'unread emails' once I saw them...only to begin the downward spiral again.

Then I discovered Outlook's 'Work Offline' feature. I have not been more grateful for a software feature in years.

When I activate 'Work Offline', I can focus on tasks for longer. I can still access my old emails for information I may require - without any new emails coming in to distract me. I can also raise colleagues on Communicator when I need to get stuff from them. All of this without seeing any new email until I'm absolutely ready to OD on Email!!!

That's one huge productivity problem solved!!!

Random Thoughts: On Falling Out Of Love...

Every time I encounter a couple that seems to have lost their love, I wonder what happened to the flames that once burned brightly. No couple starts out with the goal to 'grow apart' at some point, and I daresay that no man marries a woman so he can turn her into a punching bag.

So, what happens? What turns the flames of passion to icebergs of hate?

We need to look and learn.

One of the biggest mistakes we make as young people is to assume we will miraculously avoid the same pitfalls that have bedeviled our parents. On the back of this fallacious assumption, we then unconsciously avoid the pursuit of wisdom and fail to learn from the previous generations mistakes.

Cheers to the freaking weekend!