Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Post of the year OK, it might seem inappropriate to pick a blog entry as Post of the year on January 1, but I can't help it. Ryan Norbauer posted a long treatise (for a blog post) on Merlin Mann's 43 Folders that nails a lot of my thinking and feeling about life, work, and the meaning of it all. No, it's not 42. Ryan's essay is much too good to try to summarize here; go read it yourself. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised to see it on 43 Folders, but it's truly refreshing that Ryan's thoughts appear there. I long ago unsubscribed from the various life-hacking blogs, I sometimes skip over Merlin's posts, and Dave Allen and his GTD just give me headaches. I don't want to accomplish more, I want to be satisfied with what I can do. I spent way too much of my life doing what I thought others wanted me to do, before realizing that when someone says "you should do this" it really means "it's to my advantage for you to do this." I cannot keep up a high-productivity pace for very long . . . it's just not healthy. I had migraines from middle school all the way through college because I felt compelled to work for straight As, and never got there. It was only when I accepted that a few Bs were OK that I could start relaxing. Of course, I always do the best job that I can, but I'm not willing to kill myself to get the last 1%. Thanks, Ryan. I was all set to start 2008 without a resolution, but now I found one I can devote myself to: As the Manifesto commands, [base "]stop worrying about being perfect. Dedicate yourself to the pleasures and benefits of mediocrity.[per thou] For my part, I[base ']m formulating precisely one New Year[base ']s resolution. Contrary to what this essay may seem to imply, it[base ']s not [base "]be a lazy sod,[per thou] but rather merely to be easier on myself this year and enjoy the go-round. Hallelujah. 1:33:10 PM    Questions? Comments? Flames? []

From innovation to new ideas Sigh. Just when I thought I understand what the word means, Scott Berkun says we should stop saying it: "innovation." And he gives some good reasons. Stop saying innovation - here[base ']s why. . . Stop using the word innovation in 2008. Just stop. Right now. Commit to never saying the word again. Einstein, Ford, Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, and Edison rarely said the word and neither should you. Every crowd I[base ']ve said this to laughed and agreed. The I-word is killing us. Here[base ']s why: it doesn[base ']t mean anything anymore. Or more specifically, it means many different things. Unless you are taking the time to make sure everyone is using the word the same way, good communication about ideas and creativity is unlikely to happen. . .[scottberkun.com] I really enjoyed reading Scotts book, The Myths of Innovation; I found so many exciting ideas that started finding their way into my presentations. And "innovation" is a very popular word around IBM, so popular that it's overused [~] but I think they're starting to get the idea. . . witness the spoofing in recent television ads with "Innovation Man." Now, to put Scott's tips into practice. . . 11:28:00 AM    Questions? Comments? Flames? []

© Copyright 2002-2008 Fred Sampson. Last update: 2/2/08; 8:23:20 PM.