3 Things Google Employees Do Better Than Anyone Else - The Muse

3 Things Google Employees Do Better Than Anyone Else - The Muse3 Things Google Employees Do Better Than Anyone ElseIf you spend enough time on the internet, youll come across article after article discussing all of Googles amazing workplace hacks. While your first reaction might be to be jealous of them, your second should be that many of them are easy enough to implement in your own life.And, in an effort to convince you that this is true, I rounded up my three favorites that arent just awesome, but also totally do-able. 1. Theyre Better at Avoiding BurnoutYou might assume that Googlers have built personal robot assistants to ensure they dont work too hard. And while Im sure that they could if they wanted to, a recent Wired article found otherwise. When engineers on their self-driving car project found that they had a difficult time separating themselves from work, they started meditating. And they realized that it helped them better transition from an intense work mindset to a rest ful state.While youve no doubt heard this advice before, learning that the top minds at Google do it (rather than turn to some app) should make you want to give it a chance. And dont worry- if you feel unsure of how to actually do it, I can totally relate. Thats why I recommend you watch this one-minute meditation video to help get you started. 2. Theyre Better at Managing Their TimeWith so many different initiatives, itd be easy to imagine the typical Googler working crazy hours. However, I was surprised to find that plenty of employees are intentional about how they make the most of their time- and not only their catch up on emaille block of time on their calendar. In a Huffington Post article, Jeremiah Dillon, Head of Product Marketing for Google at Work, tells his employees to set aside what he calls Make Time. This is time where he wants his team to manage less and behave mora like makers. To get the most out of it, he suggests the following schedule - Monday Energy ramps out o f the weekend - schedule low-demand tasks like setting goals, organizing, and planning. - Tuesday, Wednesday Peak of energy - tackle the most difficult problems, write, brainstorm, schedule your Make Time. - Thursday Energy begins to ebb - schedule meetings, especially when consensus is needed. - Friday Lowest energy level - do open-ended work, long-term planning, and relationship building.If youre struggling to balance meetings and actually get stuff done, give this a try. As Dillon says, even a quick meeting when youre in the groove can derail your entire day.3. Theyre Better at Collaborating With Each OtherThe most productive teams at the company have figured out that collaborations crucial to getting things done. In fact, its become so obvious to people across the company, that its actually become an unwritten social code. An article on Redbooth talks about the fact that leaders of all levels at Google agree that an open-door policy gives everyone the opportunity to have the ir ideas heard. It would be easy to dismiss this as something thats only possible if your companys executives are on board. But this is something you can also implement for yourself. If you know you have a tendency to throw a pair of headphones on to block everyone out, or eat lunch at your desk, or keep your head facedown in your computer during meetings, take a break from those habits (every once in a while) and open yourself up to hearing your colleagues ideas- or at least making eye contact.(Of course, be careful not to derail your productivity by making yourself too available.) Theres a running trend through all of these things Googlers do better than anyone else- and its that these things are fairly easy for you to pull off, no matter where you work. Theres nothing stopping you from being more open to collaboration, budgeting your time more effectively, or avoiding burnout. Youre not excluded from doing these things just because you dont work for the one of the most recognized tech giants on Earth. All these habits take is a little bit of effort to pull off.