The 21st century workplace values creativity, self-assessment, reflection, high performance and virtual connection. The facts are 40% of the workforce could, and 28% of the workforce does for virtually at least two days a week. Over fifty million people work virtually. The online world has little respect for time, space and place. The 9-to-5 day no longer applies in a 24/7/365 world. It is difficult to know when work stops and play starts. People work from home, cars, hotels, and just about anywhere in increasing numbers. We are more connected and we are more mobile.

This constant connectivity has influenced the way we act and react to its intrusion. The virtual environment is characterized by openness, vulnerability, personal privacy, informality and detachment. To be successful in the virtual work place you want to be able to respond to the pressures of a new way of life. These pressures are constant, and they come at you from all angles. New technologies will continue to unfold. Holograms, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and faster, more integrated gadgets are sure to play a role in future forms of communication. These, too, will cause us to re-evaluate our psychological states and behaviors.

Just like the explorers and industrialists needed skills that matched their time in history, the virtual worker needs certain abilities to thrive. There are five essential respond-abilities needed to thrive in the digital jungle: 1) act with autonomy, 2) set and enact priorities, 3) be authentically productive, 4) make responsible choices and 5) align connections. The Pajama EFFECT describes a psychological and behavioral shift in human experience when working in a physically detached and virtually connected world.

Learn to:

—Avoid self-sabotage

—Adjust to dramatic change

—Function successfully beyond the cubical

—Manage intrinsic and extrinsic distractions

—Blend work and play

—Eliminate time vampires

—Create a culture of success