P2 The Blog

According to the American Psychological Association, a majority of Americans experience a high degree of stress (https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2012/full-report.pdf). More than half of it is work-related. The disturbing news is that most of these are not even diagnosed and hence are not treated (http://journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/pages/results.aspx?txtkeywords=Stress).

Here are 7 ways you can reduce stress. These are based on scientific studies and the advice of experts.

1. Live the Moment, One Task at a Time


Look around you. Everyone seems to be in a hurry. Multi-tasking (even while driving) is the norm.

Slow down. Breathe deeply. Prioritize. Stick to one task at a time. Take a 7-minute break every hour.

Remember: Results are more important than the time it takes to achieve them.

2. Accept what you cannot control


"Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.&q…

One of the frequent comments we hear about education is that the system is broken. Many scholars have written about the rising educational debt and how it can have debilitating consequences.

The fact is the system is not broken. It is obsolete.

The system that is in vogue today was devised for a different age and a completely different set of requirements. A colonial power that had spread far and wide needed people who could read, write, and do simple arithmetic. There were no computers, no telephone, no printing presses, and it took months for a document to reach its destination.

In this scenario, a system was created that would, much like a production line, produce people who had the three skills mentioned. Thus was laid the firm foundation to what we know today as the bureaucracy.

Obviously, in a knowledge economy, where the said skills are just a mouse click away, the system cannot develop the skills required for today's work environment.

Still having doubts? Just watch this 2013 …

Paul Adler, in his presidential address to the Academy of Management (http://aom.org/Multi-Media/2015-Annual-Meeting/2015-Annual-Meeting-Presidential-Address.aspx) highlighted Boyer’s four types of scholarship (https://depts.washington.edu/gs630/Spring/Boyer.pdf). Candidly admitting that perhaps research had been given an exalted importance at the cost of teaching, he called upon the Academy’s membership to take a fresh look at the importance of teaching.

Refreshing as the idea is, I am not sure how far the academic community is willing to listen. After all, no university that I am aware of places teaching as being more important than research when it comes to faculty performance and tenure. 
The problem is not new. Many years ago, the gold-standard of business accreditation, AACSB International, lamented: “… business schools have been criticized for placing too much emphasis on research relative to teaching, and for producing research that is too narrow, irrelevant, and impractical.…