Regular Blog Posts
Two Minutes isn’t a lot of time.
It can, however, be enough to get into that thing that has been sitting on your to-do list.
Our brains love momentum and easy targets. It hates big projects. One way to get the big projects done is to move them to smaller, easier goals.
Using the two-minute rule is a way to do that.
Motivation driven by an external force (even this video) is a “rookie move.” Showing up, day in and day out is hard, but if you plan on building your skill, any skill, getting the discipline to go forward is the way to go.
In this video I talk about:
With the hope to convert someone from the “I need the stars to align to do something” type of mindset to the I am planning to show up, everyday mentality.
Trust me – it’s going to make your work that much better.
Some Books to Read on the Subject:
Cross Country – Love traveling cross-country because it is the only time I get to wake up early. In San Francisco, for the Mind the Product conference and I’ve been productive since 6ish PST. Looking forward with connecting with other product leaders and having great conversations.
Taking Chances – Are you taking chances with the short game (the immediate future) or the long game(a year from now)? What chances are you taking? Is it worth it?
I did some war gaming this weekend. It was awesome 😊.
Gone – Sometimes when you get gone, you should stay gone. The distance can make the heart grow fonder. Get away. It’s summer.
Never Mind – This is a trap as a leader if you don’t give the context behind it. “Never mind” is dangerous because any story is in their head will just grow. Be careful when you use it.
Confirmation Bias – If you find yourself seeing your thoughts replicated in everything, chances are you are just looking to be agreed with. You are all in on confirmation bias, you need to unplug and change your scenery.
Never – Never ever. Yeah. Never.
Finding the spot – Strange to comment on, but I’m going for it. You know that part of a stretch that feels good, “the spot,” the one that makes you raise your hands in victory? I love it. I wish I knew how to trigger it.
How about you?
Sleepy – Good sleep is great. Great rest is amazing. And amazing sleep can help you change the world. I saw an article about a pro athlete supercharging his performance by just focusing on his sleep, and it makes me think about the people who say, “I can sleep when I am dead.” Doesn’t sound like a wise decision to follow as a person. If it is good enough for a pro, it’s good enough for you.
Some Questions – Here are a few things I thought about this morning:
One More – I thought about another question as well. This question “The phrase I hate the most?” Needs to be unpacked a bit here.
When I ask about that question, I am trying to learn more about the person.There has to be some sort of origin story with such an emotional attachment, right? I’d also wager that It effects how you see the world and that the story you tell yourself about it effects your work to this day.
How do we explore that part of ourselves to learn more about who we are?
Who are we?
Taste – Is a good thing. You are into what you are into because you have taste. Taste moves the world forward. Taste is your curiosity. Taste opens up routes to collaboration. Taste is good.
I don’t know – The time it takes for you to close your feedback loop is based on how comfortable you are with the phrase “I don’t know.” Why? The truth is we never know, we are guessing. Always guessing. If we admit we don’t know, then we can move forward.
Honesty -I changed the way I wrote my blog because I wanted more honesty in my writing. My theory is if I write about more, my writing will have no choice but to get deeper.
I want to break through a wall of self consciousness and get more honest with my writing. I need to find a voice.
This morning, I realized that I’m still restricting myself. The first few attempts at writing this post today were full of fluff. It sucked, it was safe, and I was frustrated.
All wasn’t lost, it was a reminder that being honest is a battle that you have to continue to wage against what the world wants you to be. Stay vigilant.
“Reality” – The status quo protects the oppressor, doesn’t it? People in power love to say things like “be realistic” when realism is them retaining power. People love to say “I’m (my opinion is) in the middle” with whatever they say when “in the middle” just means I think the people believe whatever I say. People love to say “it’s just a joke” when the joke is they know there is no consequence for their bigotry.
The oppressor always win in the system.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 