Feb 25
I just finished reading through a presentation by Hugh MacLeod on how to be creative. I would recommend it to anyone that considers themselves creative, and I hope that is most of you.
A few key quotes:
The idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to change the world.
Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.
Never compare your inside with somebody else’s outside.
via Hugh MacLeod
Feb 24
I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of leverage recently.
What do I mean by leverage? Essentially applying the metaphor of the simple machine a lever, to non-physics contexts.
In physics, a lever (from Frenchlever, “to raise”, c.f. a levant) is a rigid object that is used with an appropriate fulcrum or pivot point to either multiply the mechanical force (effort) that can be applied to another object or resistance force (load), or multiply the distance and speed at which the opposite end of the rigid object travels. This leverage is also termed mechanical advantage, and is one example of the principle of moments. A lever is one of the six simple machines.
via wikipedia
I think of this metaphor frequently when asked to improve the effectiveness or profitability of a given project. Sometimes it’s a task that is too time consuming to accomplish by a deadline. Or a product offering that doesn’t provide as much value as it costs to implement. Or perhaps an employee that wants an opportunity to earn more money.
The last example is one that I think translates into the most accessible metaphor for placing the concept of a lever into a new context.
When I am working with an individual that wants to “climb” the ladder, so to speak, I often start the exploration by asking myself “what can this individual do that will allow me to better leverage their daily tasks into higher value”. There’s that word leverage. Let’s dissect it in this context a little deeper.
If an employee comes to work and cleans their office from top to bottom, they have spent many hours accomplishing a task. Before they came to work, the office was dirty, now that they’ve finished, the office is clean. It’s a simple equation. The value is direct and observable. Once there was a dirty office, now through the exchanging of money for focused motion, the office is now clean. The transaction has completed and the task is finished. The office will become dirty again over time, but that’s not pertinent at the moment. The value that has been created to me is a clean office, which exists today.
Now, on day two, instead of cleaning the office, they sit down and write an essay about how amazing I am. The essay is quite eloquent and convincing. It takes the same amount of time to write the essay as it did to clean the office. But when the work is done and the worker goes home, I am able to use the essay to convince others of my amazing awesomeness. Well, the ability to convince others of my awesomeness is actually quite valuable to me, and it’s reusable. I can read this essay or portions of this essay to many different people, convincing all of them of my advanced skills and excellent grooming habits, be they business contacts or romantic interests. Even though work was performed for the same duration of time, I am able to apply the product of the second day’s labor in more contexts. In this sense the time expended on the second day is more “valuable” to me. Only so many people can come through to see how immaculate I keep my office. I encounter many more people throughout the day that could use some education on my efficacy.
This is a contrived, but not far fetched, example. It’s entirely possible that I have, working with me today, people who are metaphorically cleaning their offices, when they could be writing novels. Possibly not even metaphorically… they might actually be custodians who are capable of great works of fiction.
The exercise that great managers should go through is to take each individual and ask, “how can I get more value from this individual”. When working with developers I would often tell them directly, “I want to figure out a way to pay you more money. I am actively trying to do this because the more I can afford to pay you the better it is for me.” Thinking of every member of the team in this manner channels energy towards projects and professional developments that are deemed the likeliest to produce value.
Leverage is a powerful concept. It is in physics and it is in life. Executing well on tasks that are easily leveraged creates opportunities to significantly expand an individuals potential for influence. I’ve used the financial incentive in this example, but the concept can be applied to other goals as well. How do we influence a large group of people? Either by applying massive amounts of energy across broad initiatives, or applying a smaller degree of energy into sources more likely to be a lever.
Find the levers, and push on them, hard.
postscript: I would hate for someone to misconstrue my example as being somehow against the value of manual labor, or janitorial work. Working on a task with a direct and observable result is amazingly rewarding and highly valuable. The craftsmanship displayed by those who excel in any of these tasks is awe inspiring. I’ve had the pleasure of observing first class cleaning services and I will be the first to say that it requires a high degree of skill, craftsmanship and hard work and shouldn’t be minimized.
For the last week we’ve been dog-sitting an elderly pair of miniature dachshunds. They are a cute pair, Sassy and Rosie. They’ve been both a joy and a curse. It’s fun to come home to a couple of wagging tails, on the other hand, I could’ve done without the 5am wakeup call.
I was taking them out for a walk on one of our last few days together and found myself twisted and tangled, being pulled in two different directions as they both strained mightily against their leashes. In the midst of this tempest I realized something; these dogs are badly behaved. They beg at the dinner table, they whine for attention, they constantly pull on their leashes, they bark at any dog that attempts to cross their path, and the oldest has a habit of snapping at anything that surprises her (since she is deaf and blind that can be just about anything).
It took me a full week to realize this. If, instead of being miniature dachshunds, they had been a pair of 70 pound black labs I think I might’ve noticed a little sooner.
Being a little dog can have it’s advantages. It’s easier to fly under the radar, make a lot of progress towards your own personal goals before anyone notices that you aren’t pulling their direction. You appear to be “going with the flow” but that may be because no one has noticed your quiet dissent. But there is a downside; if you do want to be an influence it can be hard to get noticed. If you are straining mightily at the leash you may quickly get pulled back onto the grass.
Being a big dog has it’s advantages. People take notice. They watch your body language to see where you might leap next. In a fight, you are the one they want on your side. But there is a downside; The impact of your missteps are so big they are bound to be noticed. Snapping at the neighbors might lead to the euthanizing needle instead of a swat with the newspaper.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with being one or the other, and in fact most of us play different roles depending on the group we are in. It’s more important to understand when you are playing the role and which role is appropriate to the situation. Generally there can only be 1 or 2 big dogs, and if you aren’t one of them, it might be better to embrace the role of the little dog and “go with the flow”. You might get things to go your way without anyone else noticing.
After all, I did wake up at 5am this morning to feed those dogs…
Feb 3
I’ve gone through a few note taking products in the last year or so and thought I would put together a quick review of my favorite two, the pocket Moleskine
notebook, and Field Notes. I’ve broken it down by “feature” and highlighted which product I think wins in each category.
Cover – Field Notes: Field Notes seem to hold up longer in my back pocket. Specifically, the spine of the Moleskine cover tends to rub and fray more than the Field Notes over a similar period of time. It’s not usually a problem since I tend to fill up a journal around the time it starts to become structurally unsound.
Durability – Field Notes: Mostly because of the aforementioned cover durability. Also the staple binding on the Field Notes feels a more solid than the stitching in the Moleskine.
Pocket – Field Notes: It’s a bit misleading to say Field Notes win since they don’t have a pocket, but the reality is I’ve found the pocket in the smaller moleskins to be worse than useless. They tear as soon as I start using them. If you put something in the pocket, it may not be there when you go back to get it. This is only true of the thin Moleskines. The 192 pagers have a sturdy enough pocket to make it useful.
Paper – Moleskine: I prefer the yellowed look of the Moleskine paper. It seems easier on the eyes and has a more classic feel. The Moleskine also has detachable pages. Tearing these pages out to give them to friends or love interests creates a lasting momento of their encounter with you, and will survive at least one washing. Style and practicality win out here.
Vibe – Moleskine: I’m a little on the fence here. It depends on your personal style but Moleskines feel a bit more mature, and Field Notes are a little more playful in their styling. Let me put it this way, I would rather have a Moleskine for a business meeting, but a Field Notes at the coffee shop. The choice is up to you.
Coolness Quotient – Field Notes: Everyone has a Moleskine these days. Let’s be honest, it’s cool to be different. Well ok, it’s cool to be mostly the same, but slightly different and edgy. Field Notes are definitely differently the same. (take that English professors!)
So who wins? I recently finished a 3 pack of Field Notes and switched back to Moleskine. It came out as I expected. I like the detachable pages, but I feel like it’s going to fall apart before I am done using it. My next order will probably be for Field Notes. I’m going to keep a stack of both and choose based on my mood at the time. Who says you gotta be a company man…
Jan 27
For the Last 9 months or so I have been carrying a Moleskine notebook in my back pocket. I am finding the practice to be indispensable in many situations and would encourage everyone that works in a knowledge or creative field to consider adopting the practice. Here are a few things I have discovered so far:
1. You never know when you will need it. It’s amazing how often you can be pulled into a “quick” meeting that ends up making some major decisions that need to be documented. Carrying a journal at all times means you’ll never be caught flat footed.
2. The mind doesn’t stop thinking when you walk out the door, and that fantastic idea that you “will never forget” will often fade away the further you get from the point of inspiration. If it’s really important, stop and write it down.
3. When you fill up a journal, stop and reflect. A full journal provides a wealth of information on which to pause and reflect. These are good direction setting periods in the flow of life where you can evaluate how good you have been at staying on task recently.
4. Don’t stress about whether what you are going to write is “worth” writing down. This impulse is hardest to fight with a new journal. New journals are full of potential. Unfortunately we can let that potential keep us from starting anything. The first thing you write in your journal is the first thing you need to write that day. Maybe its a phone number, or a grocery list, or a note to remember to call your mom. No matter how mundane, write it down. Chances are it will be interesting in context later.
5. You only need one journal. I used to have 3 journals that I never used. When I consolidated down to one was when I really started using it. If you try to segment and categorize your journal around different segments of your life (work, home, gym) you often find yourself hesitating to write things down in the “wrong” place. There is no wrong place to write something down. Just get it committed to paper and organize it later.
Jan 20
I told you so monkey!
One of the best feelings in the world is being vindicated, standing up for what you believe, being told “it will never work” and then when the final curtain is drawn, being able to say “I was right, I told you so”.
One of the worst feelings in the world is being cut down, standing up for what you believe, being told “it will never work” and when the final curtain is drawn, finding out they were right all along. It didn’t work. Everybody got it right except you.
I find this juxtaposition between “I told you so” and “being told so” fascinating. It is a source of endless conflict between couples, friends and coworkers. It is something we all experience on both sides and we know which side is the right side to be on, yet many of us don’t soften the blow when it’s our turn to be on the better side.
Why is it that the elation of an “I told you so” moment scrubs away all memories of “being told so”?
I think it exists in a temporary suspension of empathy. When we “win” we aren’t thinking of others and what our win means to them. We are feeling self-righteous. We are feeling on top of the world. And the best way to get just a little higher is to point out how someone else missed it.
On the flip side, when we get dunked on, we often aren’t thinking of how sweet it must’ve felt to pull one over on us. It’s not really a great time for self reflection. We aren’t really trying to figure out “how we could do better next time”.
So in each ITYS (I told you so) instance we have a party that is less open to criticism than normal, and one party more likely to gloat than normal.
What are we going to do?
Well, if you just lost, try to remember that sometimes it’s fun to win, and sometimes part of winning is gloating, and maybe next time, you know, try a little harder.
If you just won, remember that it sucks to lose, and you probably shouldn’t be a jerk about it, because next time it will probably be you that should have, you know, tried a little harder.
“When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”
Buckminster Fuller
I was walking to work the other day with a saddleback messengers bag strapped to myback when I noticed a trend that has been fairly common among city commuters.
Rolling Laptop Cases
To me, these laptop cases have come to symbolize a significant problem. In many respects we have lost touch with our ability to thrive physically. Carrying one’s own weight, literally, is something we have given up without much consideration to the consequences.
On a recent overnight trip to Phoenix Arizona, I decided to embark on an experiment. I would carry all of my luggage in my bare hands. No shoulder straps, no rolling wheels, just my hands and my gear. I got this idea in my head before I left for the airport so I had the luxury of packing with this requirement in mind, but I still needed to have business attire for 2 days, as well as enough equipment to present our software to 20 or so individuals during a “speed networking” event, as well as a presentation to a room of about 120+ people. Oh, and I wanted to get in a workout at the hotel that night.
The end result? Two bags, one made of leather holding all my technical gear (laptop charger, etc..) and one lighter bag holding my single change of business clothes and a pair of shorts and shirt for the gym. All the way through Sea-Tac Airport, through the Phoenix Airport, to the cab, through the hotel to my room, to the conference center, back to the hotel room, to the cab, back to the Phoenix Airport, through the Portland Airport to my connecting flight, through the Sea-Tac airport to the Light Rail station, through downtown Seattle to the ferry terminal, and on the 1/2 mile walk home from the ferry terminal I carried that weight in my bare hands.
In the world of rolling suitcases and rolling laptop cases, and luggage carts this seems somewhat ridiculous, and I’d be the first to admit that yes, it’s a little strange to embark on such a journey, but I learned something about myself in the process. Pushed to extremes, the extremest of extremes, if the wheel no longer existed, I could travel the world, using my bare hands if need be. I carried my own load.
For me, the lesson here is two-fold.
Firstly: We are never going to be completely devoid of physical challenges. Living in such a way that we can face these challenges when they appear will make us more confident. My example was contrived, but there could be many situations in which you would need to carry something heavy for a great distance. Carry groceries to the car, or home? Wood to the fireplace? Water from the well? My experience carrying my own weight for a few evenings convinced me that I could tackle those challenges if suddenly my life depended on them. It probably wont, but who said life works in completely predictable ways.
Secondly: We need less than we think we do, and the things we have can often become a burden. When I was forced to carrying my own weight, all of a sudden that second set of shoes didn’t seem quite so important. I’ll just wear the nice ones on the plane. That extra piece of electronics to keep me entertained on the plane? I’ll just bring a magazine instead. I can leave it in Phoenix once I finish it and the load will be lighter on the way home.
I would encourage everyone to embark on a similar experiment someday. If you live within “walking” distance from the store, try carrying your groceries home one day. You might need to stop a few times, it might not be a whole lot of fun, but having done it once you’ll know that in the future if the car is in the shop, you could still provide food for you and yours. And if you don’t have time to make it to the gym that day… maybe this could be your workout…
Jan 6
“A wanted truth is always stronger than an evidenced truth.”
Scott Adams
Sometimes Scott Adams blows my mind. This is one of those simple statements that is so dense with implication that it’s hard to take it all in. I had hoped he would expand on the idea, but he didn’t so I’m going to give it a shot.
When we choose to believe in something it starts to gain a sort of weight. New pathways are built in our mind and the more we experience the world through these new pathways the more cemented they become. If I believe “9/11 was an inside job” I begin to see little pieces of evidence that all work to reinforce my believe through a principle known as confirmation bias.
Confirmation bias (also called confirmatory bias or myside bias) is a tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions or hypotheses regardless of whether the information is true.[Note 1][1] As a result, people gather evidence and recall information from memory selectively, and interpret it in a biased way.
via wikipedia
The longer we hold a belief the more we have time to build up these selective pieces of information that make the truth we know or desire seem all the more compelling.
Here are a few of my wanted truths. Some have supporting evidence, some don’t. What are yours?
Sometimes it’s enough to simply show up. We often get it in our heads that nothing short of perfection is required. That “anything worth doing is worth doing right”. It is generally true, and I find that I often hesitate to start something I know won’t turn out well. That impulse has saved me more often than it’s hurt me. But the truth is sometimes, all you need to do is punch the clock. Just show up. Maybe something brilliant will happen, may not, but if you don’t show up, nothing will happen.
I have a friend that will show up to just about anything. She’s gotten herself into trouble occasionally, but nothing serious. And her stories are much better than mine.
So get out there tiger. Go show up at something. (note: make sure you are invited)
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