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Title: Manage Your Day-to-Day Authors: Jocelyn K. Glei, 99U Category:#books Number of Highlights: 123 Date: 2023-02-26 Last Highlighted: 2023-02-26
Highlights
It’s time to stop blaming our surroundings and start taking responsibility. While no workplace is perfect, it turns out that our gravest challenges are a lot more primal and personal. Our individual practices ultimately determine what we do and how well we do it. Specifically, it’s our routine (or lack thereof), our capacity to work proactively rather than reactively, and our ability to systematically optimize our work habits over time that determine our ability to make ideas happen. (102)
Tags:#work
Through our constant connectivity to each other, we have become increasingly reactive to what comes to us rather than being proactive about what matters most to us. Being informed and connected becomes a disadvantage when the deluge supplants your space to think and act. (117)
Tags:#habits,#information
Truly great creative achievements require hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of work, and we have to make time every single day to put in those hours. Routines help us do this by setting expectations about availability, aligning our workflow with our energy levels, and getting our minds into a regular rhythm of creating. At the end of the day—or, really, from the beginning—building a routine is all about persistence and consistency. Don’t wait for inspiration; create a framework for it. (139)
Tags:#habits,#strategy,#systems
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR AN EFFECTIVE ROUTINE (144)
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The single most important change you can make in your working habits is to switch to creative work first, reactive work second. This means blocking off a large chunk of time every day for creative work on your own priorities, with the phone and e-mail off. (161)
Tags:#creativity,#work
CREATIVE WORK FIRST, REACTIVE WORK SECOND (161)
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THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF A GREAT DAILY ROUTINE (172)
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Start with the rhythm of your energy levels. (174)
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Use creative triggers. (178)
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Capture every commitment. (187)
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Establish hard edges in your day. (190)
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HARNESSING THE POWER OF FREQUENCY (202)
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We tend to overestimate what we can do in a short period, and underestimate what we can do over a long period, provided we work slowly and consistently. (204)
Tags:#strategy,#work,#favorite
Frequency makes starting easier. (211)
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Frequency keeps ideas fresh. (215)
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Frequency keeps the pressure off. (220)
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If you’re producing just one page, one blog post, or one sketch a week, you expect it to be pretty darned good, and you start to fret about quality. (221)
Tags:#motivation,#creativity
Frequency sparks creativity. (228)
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Creativity arises from a constant churn of ideas, and one of the easiest ways to encourage that fertile froth is to keep your mind engaged with your project. When you work regularly, inspiration strikes regularly. (229)
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Frequency nurtures frequency. (231)
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Frequency fosters productivity. (236)
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Progress is reassuring and inspiring; panic and then despair set in when you find yourself getting nothing done day after day. (239)
Tags:#favorite,#motivation,#work,#stress,#work:life
One of the painful ironies of work life is that the anxiety of procrastination often makes people even less likely to buckle down in the future. (240)
Tags:#productivity,#work:life,#work
Frequency is a realistic approach. (241)
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Also, it’s true that frequency doesn’t have to be a daily frequency; what’s most important is consistency. (244)
Tags:#habits
“It’s the task that’s never started that’s more tiresome,” (253)
“The days are long, but the years are short” - Gretchen Rubin (254)
“What I do every day matters more than what I do once in a while.” (255)
HONING YOUR CREATIVE PRACTICE (263)
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There is no evidence that setting up your easel like Van Gogh makes you paint better. Tactics are idiosyncratic. But strategies are universal, and there are a lot of talented folks who are not succeeding the way they want to because their strategies are broken. (271)
Tags:#strategy,#creativity,#favorite
The strategy is to have a practice, and what it means to have a practice is to regularly and reliably do the work in a habitual way. (273)
This is hard to do for two reasons: (1) it opens you to criticism, and (2) it puts you into the world as someone who knows what you are doing, which means tomorrow you also have to know what you are doing, and you have just signed up for a lifetime of knowing what you are doing. (299)
Note: Avoiding success
Tags:#favorite,#mastery,#success,#career
BUILDING RENEWAL INTO YOUR WORKDAY (308)
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YOUR CAPACITY IS LIMITED (330)
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Unlike computers, however, human beings aren’t meant to operate continuously, at high speeds, for long periods of time. Rather, we’re designed to move rhythmically between spending and renewing our energy. (334)
Tags:#self-care,#favorite,#stress
The first is that sleep is more important than food. You can go a week without eating and the only thing you’ll lose is weight. Give up sleep for even a couple of days and you’ll become completely dysfunctional. (341)
The second key finding is that our bodies follow what are known as ultradian rhythms—ninety-minute periods at the end of which we reach the limits of our capacity to work at the highest level. (346)
Tags:#work
A ROUTINE THAT INCLUDES RENEWAL (350)
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So long as he arrived at work already feeling tired, he instinctively put his energy into executing simple tasks. Doing so allowed him to feel productive without having to expend too much energy. (366)
MAKING ROOM FOR SOLITUDE (381)
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CREATING THE SPACE (393)
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Most people are uncomfortable with the idea of solitude because it means facing yourself without distractions. Practice can make solitude less scary, and will help you become comfortable with the prospect of finding it on a regular basis. (403)
A SIMPLE SOLITUDE PRACTICE (403)
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As you do, you’ll have learned a key skill for focus: how to notice the urge to switch tasks and not act on that urge, but just return your attention to the task at hand. This is what you learn in solitude, and it is everything. (417)
KEY TAKEAWAYS (423)
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In 1971, renowned social scientist Herbert Simon observed, “What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” (439)
Tags:#perspective,#knowledge
Amid this constant surge of information, attention has become our most precious asset. To spend it wisely, we must develop a better understanding of how temptation works on our brains, cultivate new strategies for enhancing our self-control, and carve out time to truly focus on big, creative tasks. (445)
SCHEDULING IN TIME FOR CREATIVE THINKING (450)
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Increasingly, creative minds are torn in two opposing directions. We’re asked to apply our intellectual capital to solve hard problems—a creative goal that requires uninterrupted focus. At the same time, we’re asked to be constantly available by e-mail and messenger and in meetings—an administrative goal that creates constant distraction. We’re being asked, in other words, to simultaneously resist and embrace distraction to advance in our careers—a troubling paradox. (455)
Tags:#work,#creativity,#flow,#career,#focus
THE POWER OF DAILY FOCUS BLOCKS (484)
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People are used to the idea that they cannot demand your attention during times when you already have a scheduled appointment. The focus block technique takes advantage of this understanding to buy you some time for undistracted focus without the need for excessive apology or explanation. (491)
Tags:#work
Start with small blocks of focused time and then gradually work yourself up to longer durations. (497)
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If you give in and quickly check Facebook, cancel the whole block and try again later. Your mind can never come to believe that even a little bit of distraction is okay during these blocks. (499)
Note: Wow. This pretty aggressive but I could see this being helpful.
Tags:#focus
Tackle a clearly identified and isolated task. (501)
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Consider using a different location for these blocks. (503)
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BANISHING MULTITASKING FROM OUR REPERTOIRE (515)
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For activities that require conscious attention, there is really no such thing as multitasking, only task switching—the process of flicking the mind back and forth between different demands. (524)
Laura Bowman and her team at Central Connecticut State University found that students using IM while reading a textbook took about 25 percent longer to read the passage (not including the time spent on IM), compared with students who simply read. (529)
Tags:#focus
Perhaps even more insidious is our habit of superficially committing to focused work while leaving e-mail or social media sites open in the background. All it takes is a whistle from one of these apps offering the thrill of an unexpected communication, and bam, we’re off course. (534)
Not only did replying to messages divert workers for an average of ten minutes, they also tended to use the break as a chance to cycle through a range of other applications, meaning another ten or fifteen minutes went by on average before they finally resumed their primary task. Sometimes the diversion lasted hours. (539)
research has shown that the unfinished morning task could linger in your mind like a mental itch, adversely affecting your performance later on—an effect that psychologists call “attentional residue”. (554)
Tags:#creativity,#work,#favorite,#focus
While it feels easy enough to put one task on hold to start another, studies like this are a reminder that we find it very difficult to let go of unfinished challenges. They continue to draw on our mental resources even after we think we’ve switched focus. What’s more, attempting to ignore this mental tug drains us even further. (563)
Note: A heavy cost to context switch
UNDERSTANDING OUR COMPULSIONS (579)
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The basic combination of these three things: (1) that the world around us tries to tempt us; (2) that we listen to the world around us (e.g., choice architecture); and (3) that we don’t deal very well with temptation… if you put all of those things together, you have a recipe for disaster. (611)
Tags:#favorite,#productivity,#systems,#motivation
LEARNING TO CREATE AMIDST CHAOS (648)
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POSITIVE DISTRACTION (656)
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Researchers at Stanford University discovered in the 1970s that one of the best ways to combat negative distractions is simply to embrace positive distractions. In short, we can fight bad distractions with good distractions. (662)
SELF-CONTROL (671)
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For his book Willpower, psychologist Roy Baumeister analyzed findings from hundreds of experiments to determine why some people can retain focus for hours, while others can’t. He discovered that self-control is not genetic or fixed, but rather a skill one can develop and improve with practice.8 (673)
Tasks done on autopilot don’t use up our stockpile of energy like tasks that have to be consciously completed. (679)
Tags:#work
MINDFUL VS. MINDLESS WORK (683)
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Two researchers at the University of California, Davis, Drs. Kimberly Elsbach and Andrew Hargadon, discovered that creativity and efficiency can be enhanced over the course of a workday when workers alternate between mindful and mindless activities. (684)
Tags:#work:life,#favorite,#wellness
Shifting from mindful to mindless work gives the brain time to process complex problems in a relaxed state and also restores the energy necessary for the next round of mindful work.9 (691)
TUNING IN TO YOU (714)
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RENEW YOUR INTEREST IN YOURSELF (727)
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What I learned during my solo experience was that my thinking—my creativity and imagination—reached a new velocity as soon as I unplugged. When you tune in to the moment, you begin to recognize the world around you and the true potential of your own mind. (735)
Tags:#creativity,#unplugging
PRESERVE UNSTRUCTURED TIME (737)
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Most of us find very little time to casually explore, follow our whims, or think big, but this capacity is a major competitive advantage in the era of constant connectivity. (745)
Tags:#creativity
OPEN YOURSELF TO SERENDIPITY (748)
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The greatest value of any experience is often found in its seams. The primary benefits of a conference often have nothing to do with what happens onstage. (756)
Tags:#favorite,#work,#learning,#career
PRIORITIZE BEING PRESENT (761)
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Be aware of the cost of constant connection. (764)
Tags:#work:life
Create windows of non-stimulation in your day. (769)
Listen to your gut as much as you listen to others. (771)
Tags:#influence
Stay open to the possibilities of serendipity. (773)
MAKING E-MAIL MATTER (813)
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The bottleneck occurs because our digital selves—[email protected]—can handle far more input than our physical selves. And short of dramatic increases in artificial intelligence, we’re going to need to solve for the difference ourselves. (833)
Note: I actually think ai isnt far off with solving some of this proble.
Put more simply, I don’t want to simply beat back my e-mail every day like some pointless enemy. I want to ensure that the time spent with my e-mail adds up to something—that it helps me achieve more. (837)
Tags:#work
USING SOCIAL MEDIA MINDFULLY (872)
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LOGGING ON WITH INTENTION (881)
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Talking about ourselves also triggers the reward center of our brains, making it even more compelling to narrate our daily activities.13 (884)
BECOMING (895)
Is it necessary to share this? Will it add value to my life and for other people? Can I share this experience later so I can focus on living it now? Am I looking for validation? Is there something I could do to validate myself? Am I avoiding something I need to do instead of addressing why I don’t want to do it? Am I feeling bored? Is there something else I could do to feel more purposeful and engaged in my day? Am I feeling lonely? Have I created opportunities for meaningful connection in my day? Am I afraid of missing out? Is the gratification of giving in to that fear worth missing out on what’s in front of me? Am I overwhelming myself, trying to catch up? Can I let go of yesterday’s conversation and join today’s instead? Can I use this time to simply be instead of looking for something to do to fill it? Do I just want to have mindless fun for a while? (901)
Note: Some questions to ask when were being mindless
PURPOSE, ESTEEM, AND MEANINGFUL CONNECTION (909)
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AWAKENING TO CONSCIOUS COMPUTING (987)
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According to a New York Times article reporting on the research, “an adult who spends an average of six hours a day watching TV over the course of a lifetime can expect to live 4.8 years fewer than a person who does not watch TV. These results hold true even for people who exercise regularly.”14 (999)
THE SURPRISING IMPACT OF SCREEN APNEA (1006)
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Our bodies are tuned to be impulsive and compulsive when we’re in fight-or-flight. We also become tuned to over-consume. In this state, we’re less aware of when we’re hungry and when we’re sated. We reach for every available resource, from food to information, as if it’s our last opportunity—pulling out our smartphones again and again to check for e-mail, texts, and messages. (1029)
Tags:#work,#information
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? (1036)
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The crux of this problem is that we are losing the distinction between urgent and important—now everything gets heaped in the urgent pile. And it’s quite frankly easier to do the trivial things that are “urgent” than it is to do the important things. (1070)
Tags:#favorite,#work,#focus,#problem_solving
But when we choose urgent over important, what we are really choosing is other people’s priorities over our own. (1072)
Tags:#career,#work,#favorite,#problem_solving
We let our tools take the lead because it’s the path of least resistance—the easy way. And the easy way is always a trap. (1084)
Tags:#work,#technology
KEY TAKEAWAYS (1103)
Note: Todo grab this list
CREATING FOR YOU, AND YOU ALONE (1130)
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A 2012 survey sponsored by Adobe revealed that nearly 75 percent of workers in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan felt they weren’t living up to their creative potential. (In the United States, the number was closer to 82 percent!) (1147)
Tags:#creativity
The creative act is inherently risky because it requires you to step out into uncertainty. When you have time scheduled for Unnecessary Creation, you create a safe space to experiment with new ways of working. You get to try and fail without dire consequences. (1169)
Tags:#creativity
TRAINING YOUR MIND TO BE READY FOR INSIGHT (1197)
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“Like every beginner, I thought you could beat, pummel, and thrash an idea into existence,” Ray Bradbury wrote. “Under such treatment, of course, any decent idea folds up its paws, turns on its back, fixes its eyes on eternity, and dies.” (1199)
Tags:#favorite,#creativity
DISENGAGEMENT, WANDERING, AND REST (1210)
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When you’re working on a sticky problem, the solution is often disengagement. Henry Miller’s advice for other writers was to explore unfamiliar sections of the city on bicycle. Composer Steve Reich would ride the subway, another kind of wandering. (1211)
Tags:#creativity,#work:life
LIMITATIONS AND CONSTRAINTS (1225)
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Similarly, many creative directors, designers, and architects often say their best work stems directly from specific client restrictions. Having a set of parameters puts the brain in problem-solving mode; there’s something to grip. (1233)
Tags:#work,#creativity
Exercise sharpens brain activity, reports Newsweek: “Almost every dimension of cognition improves from thirty minutes of aerobic exercise, and creativity is no exception. The type of exercise doesn’t matter, and the boost lasts for at least two hours afterward.” (1244)
Tags:#favorite,#work,#exercise,#creativity
Edward de Bono, (1281)
Note: Need to look up
LETTING GO OF PERFECTIONISM (1326)
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An overemphasis on perfection can lead to enormous stress (think angry flare-ups or spontaneous tears). At best, it can make you hesitate to immerse yourself in a new project. At worst, this pattern can lead to you abandoning your creative pursuits because of the toll they take on you physically, mentally, and emotionally. (1344)
Tags:#creativity,#stress
Ironically, perfectionism can also inhibit your ability to reach your full potential. If you refuse to put yourself in a situation where you might give an imperfect performance, you’ll prevent yourself from receiving the proper feedback, input, and direction necessary for additional growth. (1346)
Tags:#creativity,#work,#progress
STUCK AT THE START (1353)
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