Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinnator

Inside the mind of a master procrastinator  (Tim Urban)

Inside all of us is a procrastinator trying not to be found out. He wants to make us think that this is the way to not do things right. Our instant gratification monkey is doing all he can to to keep us off the rational, organized path, the one that says, "make a plan" "set short term and long term goals" "make a list" "make another list about the lists you need to make about making lists"... then check the fridge and TV to see what's on or just tidy this or that. Re-arrange your books or record collection. 

Who doesn't struggle with their Rational Decision Maker and their Instant Gratification monkey. This TED talk by Tim Urban of Wait But Why so closely describes my working method that I think he copied it from me. Having said that though I was very pleased to hear from Steven Johnson in his book Where Good Ideas Come From, that there is an incubation period which he calls the Slow Hunch...which can last for years!!

I'm sure that my brain is working quietly in the background, synthesizing, amalgamating and formulating ideas, being creative, so that when I'm not thinking about them, I'm actually working on them!  It's just that you can't see the working out!! 

Actually there's a lot of evidence out there that creative thinking often works this way. Einstein said "If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in 5 minutes". 

The so-called Aha moment is often the result of long slow incubation. sometimes years. Then the right connection comes along and it all fits into place. Most ideas start as a hunch, in a partial incomplete form. These are the seeds of something more profound, but there's a feeling, a hunch that this is the right direction. That's the first part of the creative process. seeing the problem and beginning to try to understand it or re-define it. Slow hunches mature in small steps.

Darwin and others would keep what were called "commonplace books", notebooks to you and I, where they would write down their hunches, intuitions and thoughts, perhaps just their observations, gently and gradually cultivating and connecting them by constantly reading and re-reading them. Reinforcing their attention to the problem and enhancing their working memory. "This is how they kept in check the tension between order and chaos, between the desire for methodical arrangement and the desire for surprising new links and association", says Johnson.

Our minds are pattern-makers and pattern-seekers.  We look for connections in random and non-random events in order to make sense of them, to give them some sense of meaning and purpose. Pattern, the stringing together of one phenomena with another, is our way of making meaning, of connecting things into meaningful stories. 

So perhaps we should just let our minds get on with it in the background whilst we check out if there's anything good to watch on TV or any good snacks in the kitchen.

War for the Planet of the Apes… A Bible Story?

Mostly when you go to see a movie, it’s for entertainment. You want to be thrilled, fall in love, be provoked into thinking, you want some adrenaline to flow, you want to be compelled by the drive of the story and you want to laugh, cry or smile. But really you don’t want to be aware of anything, you just want to be in the moment and feel, completely immersed in the world that has been created, completely in the moment, to empathise and feel emotions. Even better though is when a movie or story makes connections and associations with something you already know.

War for the Planet of the Apes is completely a compelling, believable and immersive story.

Yet the story seems somehow familiar, perhaps even Biblical.

A nation of enslaved Apes need to leave their homeland and take a journey to a promised land. The charismatic leader, Caesar (Andy Serkis), has a vision of their future and a fierce loyalty to protect his people. During a “cleansing” raid Caesar’s first born is killed by a human, the Colonel (Woody Harrelson). They know they must leave their home and make their way to another land. As they travel on their journey, the nation of Apes is captured and forced into slavery and hard labour. The Apes are subjected to a savage persecution, their lives “made bitter with hard bondage”. Their sons are murdered. There can be no doubt that our hero stands in opposition to this external dark power which is the main obstacle to them reaching their goal.  Caesar, begs the enslaver, the Colonel, to “let my people go” (or at least to save them). But he refuses and the suffering is multiplied. Although we didn’t get all the plagues (as per the bible), a terrible disease does strike down the first born of the Colonel. Caesar, is crucified (slight mixing of stories here) and tortured, but still retorts, “Let my people go!!”

 Finally, the Nation of Apes escapes, pursued by their Persecutors (and reinforcements). A great battle, a massive explosion and then the Red Sea (sorry, the avalanche) closes in on the Persecutors and they are wiped out.

So those of the Nation of Apes that remain, are able to continue on their journey to the promised land flowing with milk and honey (or perhaps bananas?) and will all live happily ever after, but not before Caesar dies. Darkness is transformed into light, negative into positive.

Sound Familiar? You just can’t beat a Great Classic Quest Story.

Lest we forget, the promised land was already full of other peoples for whom it was already their homeland, whom the chosen people should “kill, take their land and the altars of their Gods should be overthrown.

I think I can see a sequel coming!!

CL 28 July 2017

Four Steps To Optimizing An Entrepreneur’s Mental Health

I found this article from Huffington Post very helpful

Four Steps To Optimizing An Entrepreneur’s Mental Health

The life of an entrepreneur is one of high risk. One risk that isn’t often addressed is that to your health. The fast-paced environment of today’s entrepreneur means the need to pivot or scale can lead to your health being put behind other investments and priorities. Despite your health being arguably your most valuable asset, it often isn’t regarded as one.

Four simple steps that are often already used at work can be translated into effective, evidence-based actions to help minimize the stress accumulation that can lead to burnout - therefore helping maximize efficiency and productivity.

Which is definitely good for business.

1 ) Tackle problems head-on:

High-achievers and entrepreneurs often don’t recognize, or may even ignore, the early signs of stress. These signs are often seen as ‘part of the territory’ of success. Early help is therefore rarely sought.

- ADVERTISEMENT -

And while this may be partly due to the fact these signs are not recognized or are accepted as ‘normal’, is it also partly because many people think that there is not much that can be done about stress - short of changing jobs.

However, stress can be managed by making small yet effective changes to your lifestyle, which can help prevent escalation of symptoms. The marginal gains made by small changes earlier on can have a great impact on your health later.

2) Listen to feedback:

When under tight deadlines or ever-growing to-do lists, it can be tempting to ignore seemingly-minor health concerns rather than to address them. Yet this is a false economy, as these concerns can be your body giving you feedback. And while you wouldn’t ignore a customer or investor giving you feedback, you shouldn’t ignore your body doing the same thing.

One of the effects of chronic stress is that it lowers your immune system’s response. So if you have a cough that lingers, or feel generally unwell for a long time, listen to this feedback, and see a healthcare professional. It could be an early signs that, if addressed, can help stop a minor issue becoming a more significant one.

3) Invest your efforts wisely:

As an entrepreneur, it can be tempting to treat your clients or investors better than you treat yourself. Yet investing in your own wellbeing ultimately helps them, as you’ll be better positioned to delivery more energy and focus, leading to better results.

You schedule and commit to meetings with valued clients and investors, so regard your healthcare appointments in the same way. Plan your health checkups, take them seriously, and follow-up appropriately. Arrange protected times for exercise and healthy eating, and as it can be temping to skimp on sleep, protect time for this too. You’ll be more efficient and effective in the long run.

Client dinners and networking drinks are regarded as acceptable essential expenses. Start regarding your wellbeing and healthcare costs in the same way.

Workdays can be long and constantly different, and weekends non-existent. Remember that you need down-time for many reasons, including to properly form memories and learn new skills. Problem solving can be a key component of being an entrepreneur. This, in particular, needs mental down time, as this can help formulate novel solutions to existing problems.

4) Recognise warning signs:

If you notice signs of a recession in the market, you might change your strategy. Similarly, if you notice changes in your sleep, needing a lot more or a lot less of it, or changes in it’s pattern, then seek professional help. If you feel tired, disconnected, or things that used to bring you joy stop being enjoyable, contact your healthcare professional. If you find you are doing things to escape how you’re feeling, such as drinking to excess or smoking, or you’ve aches or a general feeling of being constantly a bit unwell, it may be time to seek help. And if you are finding it difficult to exercise, eat well, or you notice a change in your appetite or body weight, follow it up with someone professional.

Many entrepreneurs work in tight-knit teams. Remember that you may be best suited to identify these warning signs in colleagues, so keep an eye out for each other.

And finally, know your value:

To many entrepreneurs, success is when someone wants to invest in you. Being in good health can help enable this. Being healthy can help you feel more confident, which can inspire confidence in others. Looking after your health shows that you care about your best asset.

And it can help you get a maximum return on your most important investment: you.

Dr. Rachel Thomas

Huffington Post

source: 

ARKit Inter-dimensional Portal by @nedd

What on earth does it mean?

WHERE GOOD IDEAS COME FROM by Steven Johnson

Chance favors the Connected mind.


I read Steven Johnson's book, Where Good Ideas Come From, about 3 years ago. 

He has a great insight into how we innovate and has that wonderful quality of being able to explain complex subjects in simple language. This little animation is a very neat summary of the main themes in his book. 









Johnson's book breaks the innovation process down into "the 7 Patterns of Innovation":


1. The Adjacent Possible

2. Liquid Networks

3. The Slow Hunch

4. Serendipity

5. Error

6. Exaption

7. Platforms


Each one of these headings carefully breaks down the progressive steps from being in the right place at the right Time (Time should be with a capital "T" as it relates to the era we belong to) through networking, incubation, pure luck, the need to make mistakes, borrowing (and learning), and how paradigms (platforms) are needed in order to shift.


This is really worth comparing with "Why Nations Fail" by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson.

More about that on another day.


Let me know what you think.



CL 26/07/2017

Game of Thrones

Like a few million others, I watched Game of Thrones last night and was completely sucked in.

They’ve created a whole different world and I believed in it, even though I know it’s not real.

That’s the power of creative storytelling.

It seems to me that we have an insatiable desire for stories, we string together random events and ideas to give them meaning. The more creative, compelling and consistent they are, the more we love them.

Stories, wrapped up in language (spoken and otherwise) are how we communicate ideas with others, and stories are how we find meaning and change culture.

Before Galileo we had a pretty good idea of how the earth was the centre of the universe and how our world fitted into the story of creation, but Galileo disrupted the whole story by his observations and replaced it with a new story.

Before Darwin we had a pretty good story for how we came into existence, but Darwin disrupted that story by his observations and replaced it with a new story.

After Newton, we had a pretty good story for the forces of nature, until Einstein came along and changed that story for a better one.

Stories are the vehicles of creative thinking and our unstoppable desire to make meaning out of random events. We use them as metaphors for our ideas, to make meaning out of what we see and what we feel

Stories are how we change cultures.

Game of thrones may not change culture, but it’s damn good entertainment.

CL 25/07/2017

7 ways to think differently

I just love the simplicity and effectiveness of this technique from Thinkpak by Michael Michalko it’s a great way to break through a creative block.

 " In order to think creatively you have to break out of your habitual way of thinking and produce a wide variety of fresh thoughts that lead to new insights, original ideas, and creative solutions to problems….

Everything new is just an addition to or a modification of something that already exists. Whenever you want to create a new idea, product, service process, breakthrough, or whatever you need, Thinkpak will help you take your subject and change it into something else. Alex Osborne, (who invented the term “Brainstorming) was a pioneer teacher of creativity, first identified the nine principle ways of manipulating a subject.  They were later arranged by Bob Eberle into the mnemonic SCAMPER:"

Substitute something.

Combine it with something else.

Adapt something to it.

Modify or Magnify it.

Put it to some other use

Eliminate something.

Reverse or Rearrange it.

References:

Michael Michalko, - creativethinking.net

The Passion to Create

The passion to create drives the human species, making us different from all other living things.

Creativity is a fundamental part of human existence. The creative impulse is instinctive to everyone, but it remains a misunderstood and elusive phenomenon often shrouded in the mystery and misunderstanding. Creativity is a state of mind that can motivate and generate change. Innovation and creativity are at the heart of what it means to be alive and to experience.

In this blog I'd like to explore and discuss the idea that creativity and innovation are fundamental human qualities and are applicable to everyone. 

There are 3 important abilities:

1. The synthetic ability to see problems in new ways and to escape the bounds of conventional thinking.
2. The analytic ability to recognise which of one's ideas are worth pursuing and which are not
3. The practical-contextual ability to know how to persuade others of - to sell other people - the value of ones ideas. 

References

Robert J Sternberg & Todd I. Lubart - The concept of creativity: Prospects and Paradigms
Charles J. Lumsden - Evolving Creative Minds: Stories and Mechanisms
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - Creativity, The pshychology of Discovery and Invention.
David Bohm - On Creativity