How routine can make you more productive and more creative
How many decisions do you make in a typical day? 10? 15 to 20? They add up pretty quickly: what time to set your alarm, whether to go to the gym before work or after, what to wear, what to eat for breakfast . . . And that’s before you’ve even arrived at work to [...]
Do you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset?
Below are two hypothetical compliments: A. “You’re such a natural public speaker. I wish I could present as well as you.” B. “I really liked the way you structured that presentation. What was your thought process?” Now, which would you rather receive? At first blush this might seem like a silly question (a compliment’s a [...]
Which verbs would be in your life mission statement?
Came across this interesting thought exercise in slide:ology by Nancy Duarte. Scan the following list of verbs and pick the 3 that resonate the most with you. Some of the options make you scratch your head a bit (what does it mean to “light” or “extend”?) but it’s a pretty simple way to reveal the [...]
If you could go back in history and meet one person…
I was inspired to pick up Doris Goodwin’s Team of Rivals again after watching Lincoln. (As a side note, the book is a great way to endear yourself to middle-aged white men on the plane). Of all of Lincoln’s extraordinary gifts, I was struck most by his willingness, time and time again, to sacrifice his [...]
Social signals in search
We recently finished a two week digital ethnography study on the intersection of search and social. Key assumptions to revisit: Search engines can approximate the proximity of social relationships just as well as people can. People don’t know who the relevant experts are in their network and lack efficient means of getting this information. More [...]
Why storytelling matters
A few weeks back I went to see an optometrist to update my contact lens prescription and switch from two-weeks to dailies. After trying a couple of disposable lenses that didn’t do much to improve the dryness I felt at the end of the day, I asked my doctor about Acuvue TruEye, which seemed to [...]
What does it mean to love something on the internet today?
I remember back in high school when you wanted to recommend a favorite book to a friend, you made a case for it. Laid out the selling points, fielded questions, maybe engaged in a bit of spirited back-and-forth. The physical evidence of your love would have been obvious in the volume’s flattened spine, dog-eared corners, [...]
Designing for the future
Belated notes from a workshop at the Seattle Design Festival. How do you design for the future? Ask yourself: What’s changing? What’s enduring? From an existing norm to an emerging pattern: At the intersection of these [SHIFTS] lies a plausible transformation for [TARGET] to experience [VALUE / GOAL] E.g.
Organic networking
I’ve always found “networking” in the traditional sense to be a rather stressful activity. Recruiting events in college reminded me of scenes from a Nature special where some poor mom is encircled by ten hungry newborns. Most of the time I was too distracted thinking about the logistics and etiquette of networking to really get [...]
What improv has taught me
1. Bring something to the table. Me: “That’s a really nice dress you have on.” You: “Wow you must be blind. I’m clearly wearing a t-shirt and jeans.” [Scene dies, audience squirms] Take 2 Me: “That’s a really nice dress you have on.” You: “Thanks, it’s for my quinceañera tomorrow! I had to wrestle another [...]
