In The Flow: How To Master Your Brain's Peak Productivity

Flow is that magical time when you're working on something challenging, the outside world is shut off, and you're so deep in concentration that time seems to disappear.

Once thought to be a mysterious talent of artists and geniuses, we now know that anyone is capable of inducing such a state of deep productivity and creativity.

Flow lies in the intersection between enjoyment and challenge, and if we take a moment to understand it, it can hugely increase our life satisfaction, as well as our productivity.

Flow is made of 6 parts:

1. Intense concentration on the task at hand.
2. A merging of action and awareness - “being and doing become one” 
3. A loss of reflective self-consciousness
4. Agency, or  a sense of personal control over the situation
5. A distortion of the perception of time 
6. Autotelic experience, or the activity itself is intrinsically rewarding, rather than the expected outcome

This article by Michael Metcalf appeared on Trello.

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Prepare for the Next Power Outage

Extended power outages may impact the whole community and the economy.  Here are some tips to be prepared before the power goes off.

• Take an inventory of the items you need that rely on electricity.
• Talk to your medical provider about a power outage plan for medical devices powered by electricity and refrigerated medicines. Find out how long medication can be stored at higher temperatures and get specific guidance for any medications that are critical for life.
• Plan for batteries and other alternatives to meet your needs when the power goes out.
• Sign up for local alerts and warning systems. Monitor weather reports.
• Install carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup in central locations on every level of your home.
• Determine whether your home phone will work in a power outage and how long battery backup will last.
• Review the supplies that are available in case of a power outage. Have flashlights with extra batteries for every household member. Have enough nonperishable food and water.
• Use a thermometer in the refrigerator and freezer so that you can know the temperature when the power is restored. Throw out food if the temperature is 40 degrees or higher.
• Keep mobile phones and other electric equipment charged and gas tanks full.

This article appeared on Ready.gov

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There's no getting around it: we all have to live and work with other humans. Some make perfect sense and do exactly what we expect. And others... don't. Join this session to better manage conflict by strengthening your power of empathy toward those you don't understand, those you do - and yourself. You will also learn the challenges to empathy, and when empathy may have gone too far. Empathy is a path to managing conflict, expanding our understanding of others, and healthier relationships.

Register Here

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Please join the HSU Office of Human Resources in honoring all of our active and veteran students, faculty and staff as well as all of those within our community on November 11, 2019. 

The HSU Green Zone program offers training for staff and faculty to become Green Zone Advocates. Highlights from the program includes: how to identify student veterans and understand their demographics, military experience and the cycle of deployments as well as understanding the strengths and challenges veterans may experience in the classroom. Becoming and Green Zone Advocate, among other things, provide their availability for listing and assistance student veterans and their families as well as help with referrals to appropriate services available to them. For more information about the HSU Green Zone visit https://veterans.humboldt.edu/greenZone.

For information on how you can become a Green Zone Advocate, please contact Kim Hall in the Humboldt State University VETS Office at vets@humoldt.edu or visit their office located in Module 8 at the HSU Campus Events Field on Campus.