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Forgetting and updating
Andy Nulman writes at Medium, “The “Forgetting Curve” I am championing though is way more self managing and practical. It would require — no, force — us to let go of old ways, preconceived notions, out-of-date processes and deeply-ingrained predispositions.” Forgetting isn’t always a bad thing; it’s sometimes just as important to forget, or to…
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Wrecking the forgetting curve
Over a century ago, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus put forward a theory on how quickly people forget information when no attempts are made to retrieve it. Here’s what the curve looks like: Notice how quickly memory for information decays; most people’s brains forget information it doesn’t think it needs. This is why I’ve made the…
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Strengthening brain connections
In The Source, Tara Swart covers the science of the law of attraction. Swart defines neuroplasticity as, “The power to create new pathways in the subconscious and conscious parts of our brain.” She writes: It’s important not to overcomplicate it. Everyday examples of neuroplasticity are all around us. When a colleague and leadership expert that…
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Preciousness vs. practicality
Author Nassim Nicholas Taleb writes, “Another discovery I made then, and to which I have been adhering until the present. If you consider writing a creative endeavor, then avoid practicing it in mundane matters as it may both dull your vitality and make it feel like drudgery, work. I find it painful to write outside…
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Contentions: Publish, don’t send
I previously wrote about the idea of your email inbox as a place to find good writing (this post started as an email). “Publish, don’t send,” is one of the mantras of the UK’s government digital strategy, which Matt Jukes discussed in an interview with InfoQ: There was a real benefit removing the thinking and…
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Luxury and imperfection
“If you were to buy some of the famous brands of a luxury watch, you would probably be warned that it loses two minutes every year. The flaw is not only known, it is assumed – one could say that that is both its charm and its guarantee of authenticity. It is the specific and…
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Contentions: Services companies vs. full-time employees
Rand Fishkin wrote a really great piece on why companies should hire more services companies (e.g., agencies, studios, consultants, etc.). I’ve worked full-time at a Fortune 500 company and at a series B funded startup, as a fractional marketing leader, and as an outside independent expert or the project owner for my own services company,…
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Contentions: Culture turned outwards is brand, turned inwards is product
If you walk into any of the Din Tai Fung branches in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, amongst dozens of other places, you’ll see the open kitchen through a big window. (Even the bootleg Din Tai Fung in Canada has a big window.) You know how the food is being made; the process and the experience…
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Finding passion, decision making, and shiny object syndrome
When I was growing up, my parents would describe me as a “generalist.” They didn’t mean it in a bad way—they were too!—though it also meant it wasn’t so obvious where my career would go, or what my skills were. I could develop my skills at most things I tried to do, especially with practice. …
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Time is not fungible
When you feel inspired, sometimes it’s actually really worth clearing your schedule out for the day. It’s time you won’t get back. Sometimes, the ideas will just pour out. Ideally, you can scribble them somewhere. On the flip side, those moments are not reliable and don’t come often for many of us; it’s also important…