Figures on morale in a recent survey by SearchWin2000 indicated a troubling trend in IT. While nearly 20% of respondents reported that their job satisfaction increased in the past year, 45% said their satisfaction level went down during the same period. And on a satisfaction scale of 1 to 5, 10% said they were a 5, or “not satisfied” in their work.

It’s surprising how many new small businesses have started after the wave of downsizing the past several years. Some entrepreneurs have been forced into it, while others have chosen a different form of retirement. Houston Chronicle.com - Older workers heed entrepreneurial spirit

Starting a company for the first time after 50 might seem challenging and risky, but for downsized or burned out corporate executives, it can be the best — sometimes the only — way to earn a living. And although being a middle-aged entrepreneur requires many adjustments after serving in the corporate world, many find it’s quite rewarding.

Although I’ve always been entrepreneurial, having started and sold, or closed, several companies and businesses, the “present” one is always the best. And no matter what I’m doing, I always think, “I should have done this years ago.”

An interesting article, Entrepreneurs lead U.S. economic growth, has some interesting information:

• Minorities are more likely to be entrepreneurs than whites
• Men are almost twice as likely to be new entrepreneurs as women
• Almost one out of every eight Americans (11.9 percent) is engaged in entrepreneurial activity

It’s the “little guy” that is leading this recovery by hiring more employees. Let’s hope whoever is elected, from President to councilman, remembers that.

Last year I noted several times in this forum on the happenings at The Apprentice, most notably the ratio of PM firings versus the “workers.” I’m following this season’s show also but now many of the other business blogs are commenting along the way so I thought I would just list some of the other avenues of information on this “business reality show.” Inc.com, the resource for growing companies, has detailed analysis of all the contestants and weekly updates. So does Small Business Information. Another site detailing each episode is MyOwnBusiness.org. So I guess there is some business relevence in this TV show? I’ll keep watching and reading to see.

Oh, let’s not forget the “official” site at NBC.

All managers, especially project managers, need to manage their own time. If the PM is getting in late or staying even later, you’ve got to question the project as a whole.

Psychologists say that some people are chronic time abusers because of deep-seated needs for control or approval or fear of being evaluated. For others, the underlying psychological motive confounding good time management is tied to an uncertainty of trusting and acting on one’s own judgment.

An article in CIO magazine, It’s Never Too Late for Time Management provides a few guidelines on taming your time.