Internet Psychologist
All this week I have been working from home. That’s because it is the end of term at university and several rooms near my office are being used for exams. To avoid disrupting students, those of us with offices close to the exam rooms decided to work from home all …
A few weeks ago, I was in a meeting when one of my colleagues said that they would “socialise” the decision after “circling back” with us. I didn’t say anything, but I sat there thinking, “I’m too old for this game, I no longer understand what people are saying to …
A series of events this week made me think about how we make plans. It all began when I started my lecture on Tuesday about marketing planning. One student wanted to know if there was a “right way” to do planning. I said that there was definitely a wrong way …
The other day, I received an email, and I shouted “Hurray” out loud, to the amusement of those around me. The message said a change at work was coming. I was elated because I suggested this change over a decade ago. I wondered why it had taken so long to …
I hope you are having a lovely Easter break and looking forward to munching your way through several eggs. Now, don’t go telling me that you don’t have Easter eggs. The latest statistics show that, here in the UK, we are the third-largest consumers of chocolate in the world. Each …
This week I attended two Graduation Ceremonies at the university where I work. It is one of the few days in the year that feels unapologetically joyful, with smiling students and proud parents celebrating their achievements. It’s a shame that not all days are like it. Some days are difficult, …
On Thursday evening, New Year’s Day, a friend of mine posted on Facebook: “Is it me, or is Dry January dragging a bit this year?” He received several “laughing” emojis as people got the joke. Sticking to the goal of not drinking alcohol for a month can be tough for …
As you read this, sipping your morning coffee on a relaxing Saturday, spare a thought for me because I am working. I am a Keynote Speaker on a webinar hosted in Sri Lanka. If you hurry, you can catch it “live” on Facebook at this link. Also, when I wrote …
The BBC is currently in a bit of hot water. It is facing a $1 billion lawsuit threat from President Trump. He dislikes media outlets that say negative things about him. A rather stupid, lazy and crass edit by the makers of the programme, Panorama, seems to have suggested that …
The other day, I was chatting with a colleague about previous jobs we’d done. I started talking about one of my earlier bosses who suffered from “NIHS”. “What’s NIHS?” asked my colleague. “Not Invented Here Syndrome”, I said. Whenever I went to that manager with an idea, he’d always reply …
Yesterday afternoon, I was busy marking student assignments to make sure that I met the end-of-week deadline. To mark each assignment, I need several browser tabs open – the student’s work, the assignment brief, the marking scheme, the spreadsheet of marks, and the module guide. But I also needed my …
There’s an old saying that “if you want something done, give it to a busy person”. Like many old sayings, it’s bonkers. If you give a busy person more work to do, all that happens is they take on the extra workload, but do everything less effectively. It is an …
Last week, I was chatting with a student who obviously thought that what I was saying was useful. Goodness me. I was so helpful, apparently, they wanted to make a note of what I had just said. They brought out their phone and then started stabbing at the screen. When …
There is an advert currently playing on commercial radio in the UK that’s really getting on my nerves…! It is for a well-known British retailer and involves a conversation between a male customer and a female representative of the business. At the end of the advert, where the customer has …
For the past week, when I have arrived home from work, my wife has said, “I’ve got the tennis on TV”. It’s a warning to me that she is watching the latest from Wimbledon, and I should be prepared for some annoyance. Tennis is unlike most other sports in that …