Getting Stuff Out of Your Head

September 4, 2023Leave a comment

Think for a moment – right now, is there something important that needs to be done for which the only reminder is in your head?

For most people relying on memory is the default way to keep track of all the things they need to do. This includes remembering deadlines, commitments, obligations, or simply keeping track of fun stuff to do someday. The problem is that our minds are a poor tool for this job. In fact, David Allen, founder of GTD, often says that our heads are “crappy office spaces.”

Consider how easy it is to forget something. In the morning you open the refrigerator and discover there are no eggs. After making a mental note to drop by the store on the way home you head off to work. After a busy day on the job, hitting the grocery store is long forgotten. The next morning you are once more reminded of the lack of eggs at breakfast and are forced to make yet another sketchy promise to hit the store on the way home.

According to GTD, the best way to remember something is to place it in a trusted system outside of the head. On a practical level, that means as soon as something comes to mind it is immediately written down on paper or placed into electronic storage. So long as the reminders are kept in a place that you frequently return to, these items will never be lost.

What are the best ways to get stuff out of your head quickly? Below are common options:

Use your phone’s reminder app
Have a note pad on your desk or counter top along with fresh pens
Enable a digital voice assistant, like Alexa, to capture voice reminders
Use sticky notes to post reminders in prominent places

For electronic reminder systems, consider setting a day/time reminder that pops up at the right time. For example, a reminder set for arrival at the office can be helpful to knock out an item right away. Or a reminder that pops up before leaving work will ensure eggs are picked up on the way home. By offloading memorization, stress levels will drop as efficiency increases.

No matter the method, constantly get stuff out of your head and into a trusted system. You will be glad you did.

Systems vs Flexibility

August 13, 2023Leave a comment

One of the keys to productivity is to create efficient systems. Whenever you run a process automatically it will be faster and more reliable, especially if a human does not have to be involved. However, are there times when reliance on systems can be to our detriment?

Darious Foroux explored this problem in a piece called Systems vs Flexibility: Why Rigidity is the Enemy of Modern Success. In the post, he first acknowledges the usefulness of systems. Then he points out that it is problematic to rely too much on them.

The problem with systems is that you risk binding yourself to your system. After all, it’s what you control. And if you’re a control freak, you can go nuts about your system.

You’ll try to optimize every single aspect. So maybe you started off trying to get a raise; created a system and started executing.

But maybe your life changes or the economy changes and you shouldn’t be executing that system. You might need a new goal in your life. Or a new system. Probably both.

Later on, Foroux explores the notion of flexibility and how it can overcome the problems inherent in systems.

The more rigid you are, the more you risk breaking things. That’s true for your career, relationships, body, and mental health.

I’ve always been a flexible thinker. I have zero attachment to ideas and beliefs. That’s because I’m a pragmatist at heart. I wrote about my personal philosophy in my book, Think Straight.

This strategy has generally made me flexible. I’m never afraid to make a change.

But I still get stuck inside my systems, whether it’s for work or in my personal life. If you can relate to this, I recommend taking a step back from your existing systems, routines, or habits occasionally.

See it as a way to improve your flexibility and lower your rigidity.

Read the entire piece on Foroux’s web site.

Practicing Radical Open-Mindedness

August 6, 2023Leave a comment

It is commonly understood that no one person has all the right ideas.

However, it is also very easy for most people to believe that they always have the best idea.

How do we overcome this paradox of thinking? According to Ray Dalio in his best-selling book, Principles, one aspect of the solution is practicing radical open-mindedness.

Why is this so important? His company, Bridgewater Associates, is famous for creating an idea meritocracy, designed to encourage the best ideas, not the most persuasive or good-enough ones, to rise to top. Radical open-mindedness is key to making this happen. According to Dalio:

Radical open-mindedness is motivated by the genuine worry that you might not be seeing your choice optimally. It is the ability to effectively explore different points of view and different possibilities without letting your ego or blind spots get in your way.

On pages 187-190 of Principles, Dalio proposes seven steps to keeping one’s mind open. They are listed below:

Sincerely believe that you might not know the best possible path and recognize that your ability to deal with “not knowing” is more important that whatever it is you do know.
Recognized that decision making is a two-step process: First take in all the relevant information, then decide.
Don’t worry about looking good: worry about achieving your goal.
Realize that you can’t put out without taking in.
Recognize that to gain the perspective that comes from seeing things through another’s eyes, you must suspend judgement for a time – only by empathizing can you properly evaluate another point of view.
Remember that you’re looking for the best answer, not simply the best answer that you can come up with yourself.
Be clear on whether you are arguing or seeking to understand, and think about which is most appropriate based on your and other’s believability.

For the last point, Dalio explains the idea of believability:

I define believable people as those who have repeatedly and successfully accomplished the thing in question – who have a strong track record with a least three successes – and have great explanations for their approach when probed.

To dive deeper into these seven concepts, grab a copy of Principles and jump to pages 187-190.

Why it is Hard to Get Things Done (and we don’t mean GTD)

June 18, 2023Leave a comment

Even though we now have far more tools at our disposal to be productive in the office, more and more people are finding it hard to actually get work done. This may seem like a paradox, but there is an important reason why this is so.

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article by Ray Smith titled, Workers Now Spend Two Full Days a Week on Email and in Meetings. In it, Smith points to a survey done my Microsoft that outlines worker’s concerns.

Researchers found that the 25% most active users of its apps—in other words, people who use Microsoft’s business software for much of their online work activity—spent an average of 8.8 hours a week reading and writing emails and 7.5 hours logging meetings.

Those figures don’t include time spent instant messaging, on the phone or in other, impromptu conversations with co-workers. In all, the average employee spent 57% of their time using office software for communication—in meetings, email, chat. The remainder of time, 43%, they used for creating things, such as building spreadsheets or writing presentations.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Smith shares how this workload affects a worker’s ability to think big.

In a separate Microsoft survey of 31,000 people worldwide, nearly two out of three said they struggled to find time and energy to do their actual job. Those people were more than three times as likely as others polled to say innovation and strategic thinking were a challenge for them.

The study found that despite our assumption that more communication and collaboration lead to a better outcome, it seems this is not the case. Smith points out that one of the biggest hinderances to a productive workplace comes from not setting priorities for meetings and clearly considering who should attend.

Too often, meetings are scheduled without clarity on what they are supposed to achieve, said Rita J. King, executive vice president of workplace-consulting firm Science House. “The key is to not invite someone to a meeting unless you are absolutely certain that they belong there, and you can tell them why,” she said.

Learn more about the concerns expressed in the Microsoft survey and some strategies to solve them by reading the full article.

The Best Time to Get Feedback

June 11, 2023Leave a comment

There is a funny paradox at the heart of creativity. Most people would prefer not to receive criticism of their work; however, the only way to know if the work is effective is to get feedback. Therefore, the question is when is the best time to solicit evaluations of your work?

According to Tiago Forte, the best time to get feedback is early in the creative process. As he wrote in a recent newsletter:

The fundamental difficulty of creative work is that we lack objectivity when it comes to our creations.

That’s where feedback becomes invaluable—a borrowed pair of eyes from a novice’s perspective. It allows us to step outside our subjective viewpoint and identify what may be missing in our work.

However, there’s a common mistake I see people make when seeking feedback: they wait too long, often investing months of effort before unveiling their work.

The trap in waiting for feedback is that you could be well down a road that leads to a dead-end, which wastes time and energy. I know from personal experience the pain of this mistake on a writing project from a few years back. As Tiago writes:

Receiving feedback on a small aspect of your work at an early stage is less confronting, allowing you ample time to make corrections.

Each bit of intermediate feedback becomes a valuable tool for refining your creation—making it more focused, appealing, succinct, or easier to grasp.

Therefore, don’t be afraid to share your work as early and often as possible.

Learn more about Tiago by visiting Fortelabs.com.

You Deserve a Break

June 4, 2023Leave a comment

Are you the type of person to work non-stop throughout the day? In many American offices, and some other countries too, there is a culture the emphasizes continuous work. This means employees don’t stop for breaks, lunch, or even at normal quitting time. This happens due to a belief that this non-stop work ethic makes for a more productive workplace. However, is that true?

According to recent studies, taking breaks not only leads to greater productivity, but also better mental and physical wellbeing. An article in the Harvard Business Review by Zhanna Lyubykh and Duygu Biricik Gulseren titled, How to Take Better Breaks at Work, According to Research, highlights reasons why breaks are important.

Like batteries that need to be recharged, we all have a limited pool of physical and psychological resources. When our batteries run low, we feel depleted, exhausted, and stressed out.

Pushing through work when very little energy is left in the tank puts a strain on well-being and work performance. In extreme cases, nonstop work can lead to a negative spiral: A worker tries to finish tasks despite their depleted state, is unable to do them well and even makes mistakes, resulting in more work and even fewer resources left to tackle those same tasks. This means that the more we work, the less productive and more exhausted we can become. Think about reading the same line for the fifth time, for example, and still not absorbing it.

The good news is that taking breaks can help employees to recharge and short-circuit the negative spiral of exhaustion and decreasing productivity.

Since breaks are valuable, what is the best way to take one? The authors provide a few suggestions, starting with break length:

A longer break does not necessarily equate to a better break. Disengaging from work only for a few minutes but on a regular basis (micro-breaks) can be sufficient for preventing exhaustion and boosting performance. For example, workers can take short breaks for snacking, stretching, or simply gazing out of the window. Further, timing of the break matters — shorter breaks are more effective in the morning, while longer breaks are more beneficial in the late afternoon. This is because fatigue worsens over the workday, and we need more break time in the afternoon to recharge.

Read the rest of ways to optimize your break time by reading the rest of the article.

Handling Meeting Distractions

May 29, 2023Leave a comment

As much as people object to them, meetings are still an important part of the workplace. Meetings have the ability to disseminate information quickly and simultaneously to all participants. They also offer opportunities to discuss and elaborate on policy, process, or changes within an organization. However, meetings can also be derailed very quickly. Addressing these dead ends and distractions is vital to a productive workplace.

Luis Velasquez writing in the Harvard Business Review, recently shared 4 Distractions that Derail Meetings — and How to Handle Them. The first type of distraction are items he terms as “gravity problems.”

These occur when team members get sucked into discussing a challenge or issue that’s fundamentally unsolvable at the team level, much like the force of gravity. Trying to solve a gravity problem diverts time, mental capacity, and motivation away from solvable issues, leading to team frustration. In the previous example, company culture and leadership support are gravity problems that are distracting from the solvable issue: the product launch.

After listing three more, Valasquez provides strategies to keep meetings on task. The first one is to always determine the primary objective of the meeting.

Is the goal to make a decision, brainstorm, get people aligned, or something else? Keeping your eye on the overarching goal will help you develop a focused and clear agenda. For instance, in a decision-making meeting, the objective is to make a choice among different options. Thus, organizers must clearly understand the options, supporting data, decision-makers, and decision-making processes.

Learn about the other three distractions and more strategies on how to avoid them by reading the full article.

Art of Failure

May 7, 2023Leave a comment

Have you ever failed?

For most of us, failure is something we avoid at all costs. There is a stigma that those who fail seen as bad or incompetent. Yet the truth is that failure is a natural part of any learning process. To improve in an endeavor, we have to be willing to be wrong and learn from it.

The Big Think recently reposted an updated article that showed the paradox of failure through the lens of video games. Columnist Kevin Dickinson believes that video game players enter their games knowing they are going to lose, but that’s part of the fun. Why is this so? According to the article:

Failure feels awful, so people avoid it as often as they can. Even when we fail out of sight of others, our minds try to maintain our self-image by elaborating excuses for why the failure either wasn’t our fault or was completely unavoidable (i.e., motivated reasoning).

It’s interesting then that players seek out a pastime in which they are guaranteed to fail and willingly pay the price for that failure—whether it’s another quarter, lost time, or being forced to reassess one’s skills. In his short book The Art of Failure, Juul labels this phenomenon as the paradox of failure, the clash between a player’s desire to avoid failure and their drive to seek it out.

When failing a game’s challenge, Juul notes, a player discovers a deficiency in their ability or approach. Although having little importance outside the game, these deficiencies, like all inadequacies, are unpleasant to discover. Ironically, a player is never required to explore these personal inadequacies as they relate to a skill set they would never need had they not pressed start:

Before playing a game in the Portal series, we probably did not consider the possibility that we would have problems solving the warp-based spatial puzzles that the game is based on—we had never seen such puzzles before! This is what games do: they promise us that we can repair a personal inadequacy that they produce in us in the first place.

What drives players to keep playing even when they struggle? The trick may be in the thrill of discovery and the challenge needed to appreciate the victory.

One reason players crave failure is that success without that possibility is tasteless. “Failure,” states Julie Muncy at Wired, “offers texture, complexity, and a chance for growth on the part of the player and character alike.” Games that can beat you are worth engaging with.

Read the full article at the Big Think website.

Every Choice is Fatiguing

April 16, 2023Leave a comment

What if choices are actually traps?

We tend to want more choices in our life. The general feeling is that more options are better. However, this may only be true to a certain point. After that point, the exhaustion of too many choices may lead us to stop making any! This is known as decision fatigue. It is defined in Healthline as:

Coined by social psychologist Roy F. Baumeister, decision fatigue is the emotional and mental strain resulting from a burden of choices.

“When humans are overstressed, we become hasty or shut down altogether, and that stress plays a huge role in our behaviors,” says Tonya Hansel, PhD, director of the Doctorate of Social Work at Tulane University.

In other words, when your mental energy begins running low, you’re less able to override basic desires and more likely to go for whatever’s easiest.

According to the article, decision fatigue can lead to these types of outcomes:

*Procrastination. “I’ll tackle this later.”
*Impulsivity. “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…”
*Avoidance. “I can’t deal with this right now.”
*Indecision. “When in doubt, I just say ‘no.’”

To learn more about decision fatigue and how to avoid it, read the rest of the Healthline article.

Efficient Librarian

Exploring the Intersection of Efficiency and Librarianship

Category: Success Thinking