January 2022
NEWS
Proposals sought for 2022 UNL All-Staff Conference
Feb. 6 is the deadline for presentation proposals for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s annual All-Staff Conference, a professional development opportunity for campus staff.
Proposals can be submitted online. Accepted proposals will be announced in March.
The conference, “UNL Connects: Powering Development and Innovation,” is May 24-25 at Hawks Hall. Presenters are being sought to share their unique knowledge and experiences with peers. Proposals are sought in four categories: Interactive Presentation; Facilitated Discussion Session; Solutions Showcase Presentation; and Wildcard Session. Detailed information about each category is available on the conference website.
For more information, contact Lorraine Moon or Christina Franklin.
2022 Pay Calendar available
The 2022 Pay Calendar is now available for you to download and print. Please note that the University of Nebraska Board of Regents has not yet approved Monday, June 20 as a paid holiday for Juneteenth as indicated on the calendar. If it is not approved, an amended calendar will be made available.
Welcome
Julie Koch recently joined the Research Finance team as a finance associate. Julie comes to us from the Passport Office, but for the past six months she has served as the wellness coordinator supervisor. She will be working with ORED and the museum on reconciling, billing and reporting.
Above is a picture of Julie with her son Kyren.
Tools You Can Use
ORED-branded resources now on SharePoint
Research Communications recently moved its library of ORED-branded content to a new home on SharePoint. The collection includes PowerPoint slides, letterhead templates, logos and other simple documents. We encourage everyone to use these resources in order to ensure ORED documents have a consistent look and feel.
These materials comply with current university brand standards and will be updated when standards change. To make sure you are using the latest version, download a copy of the file every time you create a new presentation.
Please contact Ashley Washburn, director of research communications, if you have questions.
Checking a colleague’s Outlook calendar
A co-worker tells you, “My calendar is current.” Do you know how to see that calendar without setting up an appointment and using the Scheduling Assistant? You can check another person’s Outlook calendar by following a few simple steps.
Wellness Watch
We’re already a month into 2022, and if you’re like most people, your New Year’s resolutions may already be on the back burner. Behavioral science data suggest that nearly 80% of people admit to ditching their resolutions by February. Why is this, and what can we do to stay on track with improving our lives and careers?
Kaitlin Woolley, an expert in decision making and behavioral research at Cornell University, and Ayelet Fishbach, who studies motivation and decision making at the University of Chicago, took a closer look at this phenomenon. In two separate studies, they allowed participants to select between a “fun” task and one more arduous — listening to “Hey Jude” versus a buzzing alarm clock, or reading jokes versus a dense computer manual. The catch, in both instances, was that the people would be paid less for doing the more enjoyable alternative.
In both scenarios, the researchers found that the amount of payment couldn’t overcome the drudgery of difficult tasks. The people who elected to listen to the alarm clock regretted their choice more than those who listened to the song. And the group that elected to read the jokes persisted longer than those reading the computer manual – the amount of payment had no effect.
Applied to New Year’s resolutions, these findings suggest it’s not the importance of the goal that matters, but the extent to which you find its pursuit enjoyable. In other words, the question is how intrinsically motivating the activity is. Given that most resolutions aren’t inherently enjoyable, this suggests we may benefit from looking for the “fun path” to achieving the goal. Here are some tips for doing that:
- Practice “temptation bundling:” Add a temptation to an otherwise boring or difficult activity – for example, listen to an enjoyable audiobook or watch a mindless TV show only when you’re exercising.
- Choose the enjoyable option, even if it’s not the most ideal one: For example, if your goal is to exercise more, you may be more likely to stick with playing a sport instead of treadmilling. Or pick the weight-lifting exercise that’s most enjoyable to you, regardless of how “effective” you think it is.
- Reframe your resolution: Sometimes, you may have to spice up the “marketing” of your resolution to shift your attitude. One study showed that college students were more enthused to eat “Herb ‘n’ Honey Balsamic Glazed Turnips” rather than “Healthy Choice Turnips,” even though they were the exact same food.
You can read the full article, written by Ayelet Fishbach for Psychology Today, here.
Thanks to all who contributed to this month’s OPEN Book. If you have an item you’d like to include in the next edition, please send it to Tiffany Lee.
