Freedom is dangerous without self discipline. Few people will get anything important done in life without a boss, a parent, a teacher. It is the removal of freedom that allows creation. Completion requires constraints: deadlines, scope, format… We chaff at the chains, but they serve us. My boss is an idiot, but without her insistance … Read more
Would you like lower stress, increased focus, improved memory, faster learning? Sounds good? There is one simple 5 minute daily habit that can help. It will also make you a better communicator. It might be worth a test? There are 3 major benefits of keeping a written journal. Writing slows down time The past is … Read more
You don’t need more time management. You need to say “No” more. I watched an interview with Elizabeth Gilbert recently. She said “When I was young I used to think that if I said No to people, they would feel rejected, get angry and feel let down. Now that I am older I realise that … Read more
I just spent the last 60 minutes wasting time. I sat down at the computer with a clear intention to write an article. I opened Scrivener, my writing software. I looked at the blank page… and allowed myself to open email… check facebook… Google+, and have just now surfaced from a 60 minute black hole … Read more
There are two types of ignorance: Deliberate Ignorance and Understandable Ignorance. Understandable Ignorance A non-financial expert is not expected to know how to calculate discounted cash flow valuations for publicly listed firms. A European is not expected to know how baseball scoring works. A non-programmer is not expected to understand the syntax of C++ or php … Read more
We would achieve much more if we got out of our own way. The difference between the top athletes and the rest is not better physical ability, but an ability to avoid talking themselves into failure at the key moments. Performance = Potential – Self-Sabotage I remember Peter Allis commenting on golf years ago. A … Read more
Fear of Failure Clinging to one’s comfort zone Arrogance Defensiveness Impatience Rigid mindset Lack of perspective From Pablo Cardona and Helen Wilkinson’s book “Growing as a Leader“. Have a great weekend.
Greg Digneo of Cloud Marketing Lab wrote a beautifully simple explanation over at Triiibes of how to test an idea before you spend any money building. Even “small” ideas like hosting a webinar or writing a short/free ebook to give away on your blog can be tested even before putting time into creating it. 4 Steps … Read more
There was a wonderful letter to the editor in this week’s Economist magazine that used a powerful metaphor of an orchestra to highlight the untenable future of state social spending as currently provided. The letter was in response to Taming Leviathon – a special report on the future of the state. “Sir, you twice mentioned … Read more
The US Aikido master George Leonard in his book “Mastery” speaks of 4 approaches that we take to learning new disciplines. It scares me that I might be a regular Hacker… how to shift my approach and push through “good” and reach “better” and one day “expert”?: The Dabbler – The Dabbler’s learning curve rises very quickly, … Read more