nkarkoski

[Sahil Bloom @SahilBloom]

If you sit in back-to-back meetings at work, read this:

Microsoft's Human Factors Lab studied 14 participants across two days of video meetings.

• Day 1: 4 back-to-back 30-min meetings.

• Day 2: 4 30-min meetings with 10-minute breaks in between.

Participants wore EEG caps to monitor electrical activity in their brains.

The results were fascinating...

The two key takeaways:

Takeaway 1: Back-to-Back Meetings Promote Stress

Back-to-back meetings created an accumulating buildup of stress in the brain.

Anticipation of transitions caused further spikes.

Short breaks in between meetings allowed the brain to reset and never experience the stress buildup.

Takeaway 2: Breaks Promote Performance

Back-to-back meetings resulted in negative levels of frontal alpha symmetry, a brain state connected to lower levels of engagement.

Short breaks in between meetings resulted in positive levels, meaning participants performed better.

Conclusion: Take More Breaks

The conclusion of the study seems to be that short breaks in between meetings are necessary:

• Eliminate stress buildup
• Improve performance
• Reduce impact of attention residue

I started implementing 25-minute meetings into my schedule (a built in 5-minute break) and immediately noticed a positive impact.

A short walk or some movement in that window provided a clear reset.

25-minute meetings also eliminate the 5 minutes of “how about the weather” low value chit chat most meetings open with.

If you set the tone to dive in and stay focused, there are few things that take more than 25 minutes.

Try it!

If you enjoyed this or learned something, follow me @SahilBloom for more in the future.

[Kari Hall @KariHallWeather]

Fire on the Altamont Pass on I-580 eastbound at 7 pm Saturday @nbcbayarea

[nkarkoski @nkarkoski]

@andreachorst @Twitter Not good when you can't deliver your advertisers images...

[Old School 80s @OldSchool80s]

June 6, 1983: 40 years ago, Reading Rainbow debuted on PBS. #80s @levarburton Ran 21 seasons & 155 episodes. Find out about the show's memorable theme song here > https://t.co/tzTZXaQXLO

[nkarkoski @nkarkoski]

Thank you Supervisor @DeanPreston for stopping at @SFFDNERT s outreach table! The weather was perfect for sharing plans with neighbors on how to create a disaster resilient community. @SFFDPIO @FEMARegion9

[NWS Bay Area 🌉 @NWSBayArea]

🌩Electric! Several thunderstorms moved through the region overnight producing heavy rain, hail, and lightning. Here's a 24 hour lightning summary. #cawx

[US Consumer Product Safety Commission @USCPSC]

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

[Jon Würfl @jwurfl]

Today's anniversary of Loma Prieta is an excellent reminder that disaster preparedness is a continuum, not a finite state. @SFFDNERT https://t.co/MN7kbgIMzj

[nkarkoski @nkarkoski]

#DRILL I wasn’t the lucky survivor who got to ride @StanLifeFlight from @flySFO to @StanfordHealth. But when I arrived at their ambulance bay, the ED staff was top tier as their team worked quickly to intake the wave of survivors. #practice #resilience

[nkarkoski @nkarkoski]

#Drill so they’re ready! Today @flySFO, @SFFDPIO, hosted their first large scale, post safer at home. Todays exercise scenario included the collision of a plane and a fuel tanker, as the impetus for the mass casualty scenario. I had severe burns. @SFFFLocal798 @FAANews @SFFDNERT

[nkarkoski @nkarkoski]

#DRILL @SFFDPIO crews stood on fire watch with @AirportProducts. The survivors were queued for rapid triage. A @SMCoFirefighter paramedic confirms three “immediate” (red) tagged survivors to be loaded for transport to a local hospital. #STARTtriage #ready @flySFO

[SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA @SFFDPIO]

Thank you to all our @SFFDNERT members who helped make today's disaster drill a success! @SF_emergency @FleetWeekSF

[San Francisco Department of Emergency Management @SF_emergency]

The disaster prep drill has concluded. Although the helicopter could not land due to a mechanical issue, the drill brought together community, city, state & federal partners to prepare this landing zone for potential future needs. This collaboration is what makes a resilient SF.

[nkarkoski @nkarkoski]

@ampledata @vzpublicsector @Verizon Wow, a lot of antennas! I’m really digging the idea of mounting them in foam in the case cover!

[Tenderloin Traffic Safety Task Force @TLTrafficSafety]

Truck was driving wrong way at 40MPH when it jumped the sidewalk and crashed into #BoeddekerPark. One person reported injured. We need self-enforcing street designs now. Enough is enough! @VisionZeroSF @SFMTA_Muni @sfcta @jeffreytumlin @sfbos @LondonBreed @DeanPreston @sfplanning

[nkarkoski @nkarkoski]

Thank you @SFFDPIO firefighters for the partnership on this exercise, your experience based guidance is very valuable. I feel all the better prepared to support my community.

Consider joining us! Learn more: https://t.co/J5Uv710wZX

@CalVolunteers @FEMARegion9 @SFFFLocal798

[nkarkoski @nkarkoski]

@ampledata Is the number in each cell the number of calls it heard?
What’s the hardware config?

[nkarkoski @nkarkoski]

@ampledata That's super cool!!! I'd love to see the set-up.

[nkarkoski @nkarkoski]

@DavidEbarle_911 That’s deplorable!

[nkarkoski @nkarkoski]

@andreachorst I want the GMC Motorhome parked there! She needs to be restored and brought back to glory!