Tag: Understanding

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Critiquing Myself – July 5th, 2017 :-) (Not a Typo)

What Changed?

The theme for July 2018 is reread and direction. I want to use this blog to interrogate the things I’ve read before and seen how I look at them differently, then act on the new information.

Last night, I thought that, as cool as this is for stuff other people have written, why not take a critical eye to my writing. How would I critique the things I’ve said here for the last few years?

Good news! As a person that has written every day for the last three years, and intermittently for three years before that, there is plenty to choose from.

Today, I am choosing a post I wrote on July 5th, 2017.

Whenever I create any document, I have to take a moment and stop myself.

From what?

The sin of “too much:”

  • Point of view
  • Goal setting
  • Figuring out

Too much of any of those things lead me to inaction (procrastination) or mediocre work. It becomes too easy to become “busy.”

The art of focus relies on ruthless prioritization. One goal. One point of view. Simple negates the need to “figure it out.”

We lead by work.

Do.

—

So, what would I change here?

There is a little too much confidence in the writing. I don’t do this every time I create something, only when I am at my best. This year, I’ve trying to become more honest in how I present myself, and using this space to “preach” isn’t going to matter. Ditto with the phrase “art of focus” – way too preachy, not substantive.

I hate that I said that there could be too much point of view. POV makes writing stand out because if it isn’t there, you might as well use machine learning to make it. I would swap it from “point of view” to “settling.” There are a lot of politics involved with even getting to one point of view that I would touch on, now

Busy ought to be defined because I have powerful feelings about the word.

If you aren’t going to click the video, the long and short of it is – the concept of busy is a way to shirk responsibility and will lead you into mediocre work. (Stop saying it, btw.)

I like the ending :-).

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Foster Innovation – Make the “Next Action” Specific

Specificity. Action.

At the beginning of someone’s career, when they hear “I’ll get to that” they get excited. To that person’s mind, it has reached an action plan, and something is going to happen. Eventually, they realize that the idea fell apart, and it didn’t mean that at all.

They drop the naivety and in the worse cases, their creativity.

So when that person comes to you and hears “I’ll get to that,” they just listen to a “long no.” Anyone else in that room that understands that they also take a note.

Innovation dies. Status quo takes hold.

Instead of relying on the easy answer, take a breath and do one of two things:

  • Make a promise to make a concrete action
  • Say “no” with a reason coming in the moment with an invitation to talk in depth afterward

It’s hard to do this at the moment, however, if you want your team to innovate over inertia, it’s what is required.

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Destructive Self Talk or The Chinese Finger Trap

The key is not resisting

Have you ever used one of those Chinese finger traps?

They look like this:

I loved them as a kid.

So, you would stick your fingers in the trap and then had to get them out.

The trick is, the harder you pulled, the tighter it got. So, when I would give it to my friends, I would love to watch them try to escape.

The way out is simple. Push in, and the trap loosens, allowing your fingers freedom.

Destructive self-talk is the same way. Whenever I try to fight it, it gets stronger. The talk suffocates me.

Going towards the talk helps create space that allows me freedom.

Don’t fall for the trap.

 

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Don’t Lie To Yourself

One goal means avoiding sophistry to one’s self

What is sophistry?

 soph·ist·ryˈsäfəstrē/noun

the use of fallacious arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving.

When we make one goal, it is all too easy to come up with an excuse to ourselves.

Yes, ourselves.

What do I mean?

The internal chatter that screams:

  • “This goal is so simple, I can add a few more goals.”
  • “This is painful, tv and Twitter will unlock my brain.”
  • “I’ll get to it later.”

Often we are our own worst enemy. Multitasking slows you down, TV takes your attention, and “later” doesn’t exist.

Don’t fall for your bag of tricks.

” The first principle is that you must not fool yourself – and you are the easiest person to fool.”

Richard Feynman

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Do It Three Ways…

Have some fun with it

That is after the “first draft.” It is important to get something shippable. 

If you have some free time, though, you might want to play around with it.

What am I talking about?

After you complete something,  ask yourself if you can:

  • Make it shorter?  |  Try cutting it in half
  • Add a constraint that you are nervous about? | What if you had zero dollars?
  • Improvise with it and see what happens? | Take a nap and rewrite it

These challenges are designed to stretch your thinking and will improve your problem-solving ability.

 

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Say What You Mean

It’s harder than you think

Callie Oettinger wrote a fantastic piece on communicating.

Most of our communications are pointless. Why? We don’t take the time to craft our message to make sure our idea gets to the other side.

The biggest takeaway I got from it is this:

With words, there’s a lot of wiggle room. They are not absolute. Baggage makes them so.

Every time a new message arrives, the lens through which we view it switches out, like an optometrist’s test kit.

If we’re on the writing end, we have to know that the intended interpretation could be missed.

We can’t know what is going on with someone on the receiving in of our communication. That is why, being thoughtful and thinking about the structure and possible meanings of our words, to make sure we get them, is such an important skill.

It changes based on the person, so we need vigilance. It’s too easy to get lazy and think the other person “gets it.”

Usually, they don’t.

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Fear Exists

Feel that fear?

Yikes.

Go for it, dance with it, understand it, sit with it.

Don’t fight it.

When you fight fear, you start “figuring stuff out.”

Don’t.

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Life as Usual Video Blog: Goals

In this video I discuss:

  • Why having a goal is better than no goal
  • Some linguistic stuff about the word “governor.”
  • How shortening your time cycle around a goal makes it much more useful.

I would like to know how long your “goal time period” is.

Feel free to email me at adam@theadamthomas.com and let’s talk about it.

 

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Take Your Idea to the Gym

What happens in a gym?

Work.

Being focused in a gym means a little short-term hurt for long-term results.

You are purposefully beating yourself up to get stronger.

We have to do the same thing with our ideas.

What is an idea gym?

  • Salon – A salon is a group of friends that discuss ideas. They critically discuss them, as opposed to just talking. Put your ego by the door. The idea is strong ideas, weakly held.
  • Yourself – Self-talk works. Try to probe the idea in your head for weaknesses. Where did it come from?
  • Market – Put it out as is. Stop building at a date you set and put it out. No polish.

Like the gym, the first few times, it’s going to suck. You aren’t going to like being “sore.”

However, no pain no gain.

Remember that transformation you’ve seen when someone went to the gym, with focus, for a year? Now think about that same change for your ideas.

Powerful.

 

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Ask for the Average

Get Context

Losing five million dollars seems like a lot of money, right?

Unless your market cap is 500 billion, and then it’s just noise.

The first thing you hear can anchor us. Unfortunately, the first thing we hear isn’t always real. Sometimes, it’s just noise.

Take a moment, take a breath and get the context to understand if it is noise.

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