Attachment: Productivity.pdf

FCS FLASH ISSUE Number 89: September 16, 2008
September 24: Downey: Food Safety Expo at So Cal Gas
October 4: Fresno: Fresno City College Child Development Event
October 10-12: San Ramon: FCS Program Plan Revision Retreat
October 11: Diamond Bar: Interior Design: Student Career Day
October 25: Monterey: Costume Society of America Distressed Costumes Workshop
November 5-8: Chicago, IL: ITAA Annual Meeting: Evolving Patterns
November 21-25: National Harbor, MD: Gerontological Society of America Annual Conference
December 4-6: Charlotte, NC: ACTE Convention & Career Expo
March 26-28: Sacramento: CAEYC Conference California Association for the Education of Young Children

FCS Site Gets the Word Out! Mark your calendars for the Culinary Arts Annual Symposium set for April. In addition, Fashion and Interior Design are hosting a Student Leadership Event tentatively scheduled for Spring 2009. There are also several new articles for you to review, including one on Energy Drinks from Dana Wu Wassmer, as well as words from Chef Thomas Keller, of the acclaimed French Laundry restaurant, on his profession. Dr. Melanie Horn Mallers, Cal State Fullerton, reflects on Caregivers: In their Own Words. Finally, you will want to check out what Marnell Jameson, LA Times, uncovers about the Scientific Formula for Happiness.

FCS FLASH: Enhancing Productivity!
Our productivity varies from hour to hour and day to day. Getting students to take note of their best times and take advantage of those days, hours, or minutes of opportunity can help them be better students and workers. Did you know for instance that 10:30 am is the best time to generate ideas, and Tuesday is the most productive day of the week? It might surprise you to find out that job seekers who land morning interviews have a better chance of getting hired, and studies show our brains might learn best at night. Too often students let other students or situations dictate their study habits and limit their productivity. Help them focus on what’s best for them with this simple, fun, and fast activity.

1. Ask students questions about their schedules: What days do they prefer to come to class? What times do they prefer?
2. Explain that we all have times and days where we are more productive, creative, or energetic, and when we can identify those times, we can use them to our advantage.
3. Distribute the attached worksheet, When Are You Most Productive? for students to complete.
4. Discuss their responses and share some of the information cited in the opening intro.