Making IT Live up to its Promise
In the U.S., police have started rounding up suspects based on defective image recognition from grainy surveillance video. Image recognition is known to work poorly on black faces, probably because they were mainly trained on images of white people.
When we roll out new technology, we of carefully explain to the users where and how it can be used. But if we can reasonably expect our users to ignore our admonitions, maybe we shouldn’t sell it at all.
Notice how you talk about yourself. It affects your self-image. It can be hard to do while speaking, but lockdown has presented us with an endless succession of Zoom calls to work with. If the meeting is not being recorded, ask if it is OK for you to record it. Zoom now also has an automatic transcription feature that turns the audio into text.
Once you have the recording or text, look at the parts where you are speaking. Notice the words you are using about yourself, your team, and your projects. If you are using neutral or negative words where a positive word would have been reasonable, try saying the sentence to yourself with the improved word. For example, don’t say your team is “doing okay” if you are actually “doing well” or even “doing great.”
Using more positive words will give you increased energy and happiness. Try it.
Remember to thank other people. It’s easier to thank a colleague when you meet him or her in the office than thanking them via Zoom. That’s why most people are not expressing gratitude during lockdown like they used to.
Telling someone else that you are thankful for their contribution will improve their day. It will improve your day, too, and it costs you nothing. Science also shows that expressing gratitude reduces stress hormones and has a host of other health benefits.
Make a note to yourself to thank someone for something this week. Putting a “Thank you” post-it note on your computer will remind you. And just watching the note will lift your own mood.
Start planning your next trip. The antidote to lockdown cabin fever is to imagine a trip somewhere. You’ll be able to travel again this year, even if you probably won’t have the whole world available. That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you spend time planning your trip.
Choose a destination and start researching. Since we’re only imagining at this time, you are fortunately free to skip the frustrating part where you search for cheap airline tickets. But find a hotel or Airbnb for your imaginary trip, and find out what you want to see and do.
Imagining a better future where you can travel again will lift your spirit. And once you’ve made the plans, your trip is more likely to actually happen.
Get away from your screens and look at the night sky. It’s International Dark Sky Week this week. Get out of the city and away from the lights to somewhere you can see the stars. Looking up at the sky will put your worries in perspective. You can check out the official International Dark Sky Places directory here https://www.darksky.org/our-work/conservation/idsp/finder/. If there is no place hear you, look at the light pollution map (https://www.lightpollutionmap.info) and find the least light-polluted place near you.
Did you do any spring cleaning? Spring is a good time to start new things, and that’s why we have a phrase for cleaning up this season.
Your physical environment affects you, and clutter around you makes it much harder for you to get started on anything new. Try removing all the excess stuff from one room, or just a corner of a room. Sit in the cleared space and feel the difference.
To make a change in your life, enlist your physical environment to help you. If you don’t change your environment, it is much harder to make any other change stick. Do a little spring cleaning and improve your life.
