Not the Getting Things Done version – James Clear’s version of down-scaling habits so you just do something of the habit you want to build, for only two minutes. Do that until you’re the kind of person who identifies as doing that sort of thing, and then it’s a whole lot easier. Break it down, make a start. Don’t worry about the big picture and … Continue reading The two minute rule
Two phrases I’m fond of: “Chance favours the prepared mind.” “Fortune favours the bold.” The key is in finding the right balance. And in remembering they’re not opposites. Continue reading Currying favour with chance and fortune
If you’ve already put a lot of effort into planning the optimal time to get something done, and as that time approached you wanted to plan some more even though the variables haven’t changed… Kindly, get going. Continue reading The best way to get something done, is to begin
The Mona Lisa is, for many, a beautiful painting. I wouldn’t want to own it, with all the implications that’d bring. It’s not an attractive proposition. A Ferrari Dino is beautiful, though being parked outside my terraced house would be problematic. Nearer to my actual reality, that detached farmhouse on the way out to the hills is really appealing, though the work I’d have to … Continue reading Beautiful, yes, how about attractive
Where there’s an absence of clarity, it can be hard to make progress. What are you progressing toward? Even where you can make progress, it can be hard to generate and sustain momentum. What’s next once this is done, or what else should I be doing? Time spent on clarity shifts the question marks that can be paralysing. Clarity provides a destination to work toward. … Continue reading When feeling low, seek clarity
More often than I’d like, I don’t immediately have an answer when someone is looking for help. Actually, this turns out to be a help in itself. I listen, actively. I try to re-frame the problem if appropriate, gaining clarity on the key points and cutting through any noise. Very often, this is enough. The conversation has been the help and we both go away … Continue reading What do I have to offer
There are two routes to where I used to park for the office, and with kids back in school they’re both now a crawl through traffic. Parking just a minute’s walk away from the usual spot affords a different route. One that doesn’t involve a queue. I looked at a map, then walked the neighbourhood a little – to be sure I could use a … Continue reading 10x parking win
I liked this thought, stumbled across in a YouTube comment: “I pretend in my mind that […] this is more of a performance review.” Being a successful candidate is more than that, though I like the mindset. If you can do the job well, remember that. The interview is merely an opportunity to explain this, not a grilling to be feared. If you’d be confident … Continue reading Interview or performance review
A lot of meetings I get asked to are now called catch-ups, but they do have a clear aim for the person asking to catch up. That’s not a catch up, that’s a meeting with an agenda. Sharing the aim allows forethought, preparation and prioritisation. Not sharing keeps my brain guessing, when it could be better focused. It can be right to prioritise a mere … Continue reading Catching up – on what exactly
I’m reading a book by about the Virgin Group by Richard Branson at the minute, which paints an understandably positive picture. Yesterday I stumbled across a about Richard Branson specifically, written by an investigative journalist who gives a relentlessly negative account. Neither are fully accurate, of course. The contrast reminded me how hard it is to find objective truth. Especially when there’s something riding on … Continue reading Who has the virginal truth
