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Should Engineers Work From Home More?

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No, really, I’m asking. I’m on the fence on this one.

I understand there are many jobs that can’t be done from home. One of them being civil engineer. I used to be a microscopist. I can’t imagine even asking for “work from home day”’ in that job. But there are definite aspects of being an engineer that can be done from home. And I would strongly argue that they can be done better that way. Having a day at home once a week, without interruption, to get some planning done, catch up on paperwork, write reports, or design in peace would certainly be useful. On the flip side, what about all the potential interruptions?

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TECC 228: How to Stay Safe and Keep Healthy During the Coronavirus Pandemic

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stay safe and keep healthy

In this episode, I talk about how you can stay safe and keep healthy during the coronavirus pandemic by changing the way you think and doing things differently daily. During this pandemic we are indeed dealing with tough times, but if you can adapt a positive mindset, you might just find that even within these uncertain times, there are always opportunities out there.  

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About How You Can Stay Safe and Keep Healthy During the Coronavirus Pandemic:

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TECC 219: The Productivity Mindset for Engineers

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Productivity MindsetIn this episode, I talk with Matthew Gaddy, EIT, an engineer and productivity consultant. Matthew is going to help you start 2020 off in a more productive way. Matthew helps engineers manage projects more effectively and will run through a variety of different productivity strategies that will help you to develop a productivity mindset and ultimately increase your success as an engineer. 

Engineering Quotes:

Productivity Mindset

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About Productivity for Engineers:

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TCEP 118: Information Civil Engineers Should Seek Up-Front for Proposal Writing Success

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Proposal Writing SuccessIn episode 118 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I visit with  Karen Morgan, P.E. who is the owner and founder of the AEC Proposal Institute. We discuss what information civil engineering professionals need to seek up-front for proposal writing success. Morgan discusses 5 specific points that you can use as a checklist to ensure you write more winning proposals.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are 5 Important Points Engineers Should Always Seek Up-Front for Proposal Writing Success:

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TECC 198: Maker’s Versus Manager’s Schedule for Engineers

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Manager's ScheduleIn this episode, I am speaking with Chris Marshall, P.E.,  Regional Geotechnical Engineer at Professional Services Inc. (PSI) in Houston, Texas.  We talk about the strategies he uses when dealing with everyday distractions in his engineering career and we discuss the difference between a maker’s and manager’s schedule, and how you might utilize these different schedules in your engineering career.

Engineering Quotes:

Here are some of the key points discussed about Maker’s Versus Manager’s Schedule for Engineers:

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Focus on Your Planning to Be Productive in Your Engineering Career

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Productive

Most engineers I know are interested in achieving a relatively high level of productivity in their professional and work activities.  Since most are working long hours, they aren’t interested in spending time on none-value added activities.  Those who are successful in optimizing their productive time, do so through focusing on developing a plan of action.

Productivity is associated with creating value.  While you can feel productive attending project meetings, reviewing designs, or obtaining closure on a long-standing issue, it may or may not result in value beyond making you feel productive.  In my mind, productivity (a.k.a. creating value) comes only in achieving movement towards the accomplishment of a defined goal.

With this concept in mind, let’s unpack how to get from focus to productivity in your engineering career.

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What a One-year Old can Teach Engineers about being Productive

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This is a guest post by Patrick Sweet, P.Eng.

ProductiveWhen she was about one year old, my daughter, Charlotte, started mimicking what my wife and I did in a big way. If we did it, she wanted to do it. If I stirred my coffee, she wanted to stir her milk. If my wife went to play the piano, Charlotte wanted to play the piano. If I changed the channel on the TV, Charlotte wanted to try to do it, too. It was adorable, and I almost always got a chuckle out of it. Monkey see, monkey do.

Charlotte’s favorite thing to do, though, was to clean. This kid was a neat freak. The problem though, was that she was terrible at cleaning. After all, she was a one-year-old. She’d smear milk all over the table. She’d wipe her stuffed animals’ paws with a dirty dishcloth she stole from the counter. She’d use the carpet to wipe off her boots… you get the idea. The world was a much cleaner place when Charlotte wasn’t trying to clean it.

The link between effectiveness and productivity

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