Mint

Howdy Do It came from “how do you do It,” the question Ellie & Margot found themselves asking about their freelance lifestyles, and so Howdy Do It was born, a weekly column about the things we do to keep ourselves organized, inspired and on track. Margot will be here on Mint each Monday, and Ellie will be over on Margot’s blog Pitch Design Union at the same time. If you have any questions for Margot or Ellie, you can ask them on formspring.

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Recently my friend Michael, a 37signals employee, gave out a couple of copies of their newest book, REWORK. I was skeptical at first, because who reads business books? Dudes who use stupid business buzz words like synergy. But of course, 37signals is not your average company either, and considering their massive success I figured it was worth dipping my nose into. I absolutely devoured it though, cover to cover in less than a day. It is a such a breath of fresh air.

To read the rest of Margot’s post (with two great videos), click:

Written in casual sections it covers a lot of revolutionary ideas. Sleep more, work when you’re inspired, interruptions (like meetings) are the antithesis of productivity, and yes it is totally acceptable to turn of email and IM. And lots more. It is definitely a good read for anyone who might need some inspiration to change their work habits and especially people who are in a position to make decisions about how to improve productivity and morale in their workplace.

Why you can’t work at work by Jason Fried, co-founder of 37signals:

Interestingly enough, REWORK has an incredibly well-timed release as well. Not just for me, but turns out this kind of thinking is burbling in the consciousness of others too. Case in point: last week the White House hosted a forum on workplace flexibility which they broadcast in real time on the internet. At that level it becomes infinitely more complex, but it’s an issue many many people find compelling that’s for certain. I imagine this is not the end of the discussion by any means, but if you are feeling burned out and don’t have enough (or any) balance between your work and your life, I think these are some great tools to start making a better plan for yourself.

Images are from the REWORK flickr page. Illustrations are by Mike Rohde. First video is from Clusterflock, second from the White House.