​For those of you who work on split computer screens at work, what I’m about to write about may seem mundane and worth a monumental yawn. Go for it. I’m okay with that.
 
I’ve never been a fan of using multiple computer screens to get work done. Why make it more complicated? That’s my motto on the job, and pretty much a life motto. If you can streamline something and make it easier, go for it.
 
Wouldn’t additional screens of data make life more confusing? That’s what I thought. If you pull up information on 2-3 HD displays, you’re going to become distracted. Your eyes go one direction, your brain goes another, and your fingers tapping away don’t know what to do.
 
Since I’ve never used more than one screen while working on my desktop or laptop, all I could do was examine multiple images from a distance while watching coworkers and muse, “They’ve got to be baffled.” Perhaps that is not the case.
 
As I’ve taken on some new professional editorial duties, I’ve been confronted with the opportunity to utilize split screens to speed and (egads) simplify my job. I found it hard to believe that simplification could result, but I deferred to experts, accepted the new high tech display in my office and let it sit there for a few weeks, my screen saver staring back at me.
 
One day that changed. I don’t remember the reason. There were more than two documents I needed to edit and input information to at the same time. Previously, I’d write things down by hand from one document while leaving the other document on the screen, then type in the changes. Another method was to cut and paste and keep switching from one screen to another.

The dual screen changed that. I pulled the document up on one, the slid data across to the other one. Wham. Done. Save time. Simple. Makes sense. Easy.
 
Hmmmm, why had I deferred for so long? It’s odd how we choose or not choose to pick up new things in our lives. Many humans are averse to change. They don’t want to take on something new. I think that is driven by the feeling it will complicate your life and be hard to learn. There’s no doubt that often is the case.
 
Just as often though, we can find a new way is easily adaptable and leads to improved productivity and a faster and smarter way to do business. That was the case here.
 
I’m a Luddite for the most part. For those of you who’ve followed me for the past 20 years writing this column, you know that about me. But at the same time, when it’s practical and you show me the better results, I adopt and adapt. I want to learn new things. And if I can simplify my life (work or personal) a bit over the long run, I’m all for it.

The hard part is getting over the emotional hurdle of having done something a certain way and being comfortable with it. We don’t like to leave our comfort zones.
 
Here’s to taking small leaps into the unknown. Embrace a new technology and see how it works for you. You can always discard it.

​A couple of weeks back, I was emailing a good friend and he wrote something amusing that was also thought-provoking: Exchange all prescription medications for placebos in the U.S. and see if there is a noticeable improvement in health and behavior in society.
 
His statement came about because of a discussion we were having about an acquaintance who is prescribed far too many pills. Without exaggeration, this person takes over 10 that we know of and most likely between 15 and 20 daily since we don’t have full knowledge from the various doctors who do the writing.
 
Our email conversation revolved around the patient not getting any better, and in fact, most likely being worse off because of the interaction of the various drugs. No one can know how that many different chemicals can stew in the brain and react with each other.
 
You might get sleepy. You may become unable to form words. You could stop thinking. It’s possible you’d start stumbling around. Those are some basics which go beyond the warnings on each prescription which include the usual litany of “could ….. cause hives, nausea, sleepiness, rash, throat swelling, temporary blindness, swelling in the big toe, nose enlargement, expanding gaps between your two front teeth, sagging buttocks, an inability to stand straight, and the disappearance of thumbnails the third Sunday after beginning the pill therapy.”
 
Seriously, you’ve heard a few warnings almost that strange. When you throw together a bunch of prescription meds, who the heck knows what’s gonna happen?
 
“So, why not just prescribe placebos?,” we decided. If someone has to take that many pills, he’s probably not getting good results from any of them, so turn them back in at the next local drug pickup and doctors should start handing out one pill, with a positive statement: “Here, take this, it will solve all your problems. You’ll run faster, jump higher, sleep better, have increased sex drive, never get the flu, lose weight, improve your hearing and be able to see through walls if you concentrate extremely hard.”
 
We figured this is part of a winning Presidential Platform for 2020. “Placebos for Everyone.” Who can be unhappy with that slogan? Everyone will feel better. That’s a good first plank for the platform.

If that doesn’t wrap up the vote for whoever chooses to contend, then we came up with a few more:
 

• Every citizen must pick up litter for one hour a week. You can choose the time and place. You get to report your neighbor if you see he’s not participating.
• Plank three of a winning campaign includes forgiving your neighbor.
• Geothermal energy systems in all new construction is mandated.
• All new vehicles must be hybrids or electric.
• Friday night bowling is mandatory. Everyone must laugh at least twice during the evening or you’re not allowed to go home.
• For pain management, everyone must use cryotherapy and practice yoga. People will lose weight, decrease their pain levels, increase their concentration and stop being so angry.
• The final plank in the platform is to ban carbohydrates for anyone under the age of 16. I forget why we picked this age. Maybe because childhood obesity is such an epidemic in the U.S.

No, you won’t get elected following this plan, but it sure was fun to put together. What’s yours?

​You’ve probably heard of the 40-40-20 rule, right?  Nope?
 
How about the 80-20 rule? What’s that, you say?
 
There are many percentages ballyhooed about to describe situations we encounter in the world and how to categorize people in terms of what bucket they fall into. Percentages are used for many things – to predict; to define; to give us understanding; to stereotype. They also help us understand the world in simpler chunks so we can take one bite at a time.
 
I tossed the 40-40-20 rule on the table several weeks ago and it resonated with my conversational partners at the time. Probably because it makes sense.

It goes something like this: Let’s presume you’re working on a task. It can be anything. But if you are in charge, or you need to reach out to people for answers, you (and the project itself) can’t succeed without their input and contribution.
 
You need to hear back from people. The 40-40-20 rule is a fairly accurate representation, IMO, for the response rates of people in these situations.
 

• More or less 40 percent of people are responsible and get back to you by email, text or phone if you contact them and want to get information
• Another 40 percent of people are mildly responsible. They don’t respond to your initial communication. So you wait a week, maybe two, remind them of your initial correspondence, then you hear back from them and they apologize for the delay and share the requested data.
• The final 20 percent are recalcitrant. They erect a wall. They pretend you don’t exist. They ignore all forms of communication. Even if you dog them, you don’t hear back. This group creates great frustration on all job fronts.

What’s a committed person to do? How do you deal with these people? You must get a response or you fail in your job. Your boss is counting on you.

There is no sure-fire solution. At least none that I have found. It seems there are several potential tactics able to bear fruit.

1. Be relentless. Continue to call text and email at a measured pace. Stagger your message and use different prompts. Perhaps the individual will wear down.
2. Enlist a work colleague to help. Find someone on your staff who knows the individual. Plead for help. Most people love to be wanted and are likely to willingly assist. Explain the predicament and need. Let your colleague carry the water.
3. Go above the job title of the person you are trying to reach. This is not necessarily recommended as you may REALLY NEED this individual and going above his or her pay grade could raise their ire. Attempt this with full recognition of the perils.
4. Move on. Sometimes it is best to move on. Rather than use the preferred contact, you go to a secondary source. In many ways, I like this option. Typically you get the information you need and someone eager to assist. You may also find that when you give up and move on, that the initial person suddenly comes to the table. Why? Who the heck knows? But it seems to happen with regularity in my small world.

 
Projects are hard enough when you’re pulling together random people and information from multiple sources and operating under a deadline. You don’t need the forehead-pounding headache of the recalcitrant individual. Remember the 40-40-20 rule, and eliminate the 20’s to get to those first 40 and you’ll need less Advil in your life.